PALAKKAD: In a major boost to the opposition Congress-led UDF, its candidate Rahul Mamkootathil retained the
Palakkad Assembly seat
, winning the by-poll by a significant margin of 18,840 votes, despite challenges posed by the BJP-led NDA and CPI(M)-headed LDF. Mamkootathil secured 58,389 votes against BJP’s C Krishnakumar who garnered 39,549 votes, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
LDF candidate P Sarin, the former Digital Media Convener of KPCC, who switched to the left after the party announced the candidacy of Youth Congress state president Mamkootathil, finished third with 37,293 votes.
Krishnakumar initially led the count; however, Mamkootathil gained a narrow lead of 1,425 votes in the seventh round of counting and has steadily increased his margin in the subsequent rounds.
In 2021 Assembly polls, Congress leader Shafi Parambil, who got 54,079 votes won the seat with a majority of 3,859 votes against ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan, the BJP candidate who received 50,220 votes. LDF candidate C P Promod finished third with 36,433 votes.
According to Congress leaders, Mamkootathil won with a record majority of over 18,000 votes, the largest the party has secured in the constituency in the past two decades, and that the party has made significant inroads into BJP strongholds like Palakkad Municipality.
This has boosted the confidence of the workers, who are now determined to reclaim the local body, which has been under BJP control for the past few years, they added.
The by-poll campaign was marked by several political twists and controversies. The first major incident occurred when Sarin resigned from Congress in protest over the party’s decision to field Rahul Mamkootathil as its candidate, later joining the CPI(M)-led alliance and running as an independent candidate.
The situation took another turn with a midnight police raid at a local hotel, triggered by suspicions of black money involvement in the election campaign. On the night of November 5, police searched hotel rooms, including those of prominent Congress women politicians like Bindu Krishna and Shanimol Usman.
Another row erupted when both the Congress and CPI(M) alleged doubling of names on the voter list. The Congress claimed that LDF candidate Sarin’s name appeared on the voters’ lists of both Palakkad and Ottappalam constituencies.
As the political blame game continued, the final twist came when BJP leader Sandeep Varier quit the party and joined Congress just four days before the by-election.
The BJP also highlighted the Munambam Waqf land dispute issue during the final phase of campaigning, but it failed to make an impact on the voters.
UDF candidate Rahul Mamkootathil credited the united efforts of all the front’s leaders and workers for his victory and said the false campaigns by the LDF and BJP had no effect in Palakkad.
“The greatest favour the CPI(M) did for me was alleging that I was the nominee of Shafi Parambil, the former MLA,” he said.
He also added that his only complaint was that they didn’t claim he was the nominee of Palakkad MP V K Sreekandan.
LDF candidate P Sarin claimed that the UDF’s victory was achieved with the support of the BJP and other communal forces.
“BJP has emerged as a savior in Palakkad, aiding Congress,” he said.
He also noted that the SDPI held a victory rally before the UDF, suggesting that the outfit may openly join the UDF in the near future.
Sarin, who had predicted securing 45,000 to 50,000 votes, admitted that his expectations were based on trust in the people’s response, but he acknowledged that he was mistaken.
“The days are coming when the Left will have to prove how to keep the people with it and win them back,” he added.
In response to his defeat, BJP candidate C. Krishnakumar dismissed the claim that former BJP leader Sandeep Varier’s entry into Congress had any impact.
“Neither Nair nor Varier had any effect,” he stated, adding that none of them who Varier claimed to quit the party left the outfit
Krishnakumar pointed out that Varier, who had been reluctant to contest even in his own panchayat, was now blaming him for contesting in all elections.
The Election Commission postponed the Palakkad Assembly bypoll from November 13 to November 20, citing the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival.
This by-election was necessitated by the resignation of Congress leader Shafi Parambil, who vacated the seat after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara in the general election this year.
