The Congress party has retained the Puthuppally assembly seat in Kerala, defeating the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate by a margin of 37,719 votes. The bypoll was held on September 5, 2023, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Chandy Oommen, the son of Oommen Chandy, won the election by polling 78,098 votes. The LDF candidate, Jaick C Thomas, received 41,644 votes. The BJP candidate, Ligin Lal, finished a distant third with 1,830 votes.
The Congress victory is seen as a major setback for the LDF government, which is already facing criticism for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The BJP, which is trying to make inroads in Kerala, also suffered a major defeat in the bypoll.
The Congress has hailed the victory as a “moral victory” for the party. The party’s state president, K Sudhakaran, said that the victory was a rejection of the LDF government’s “misrule”. He also said that the victory was a sign of the growing popularity of the Congress in Kerala.
The LDF has accepted the defeat and said that it will work to improve its performance in the next elections. The party’s state secretary, A Vijayaraghavan, said that the defeat was a “wake-up call” for the party. He said that the party will introspect and take steps to improve its performance in the future.
The Puthuppally assembly seat is located in Kottayam district. It is considered to be a Congress stronghold. The seat was represented by Oommen Chandy for 53 years before his death in July 2023.
The bypoll was held under tight security arrangements. The Election Commission had deployed over 2,000 security personnel in the constituency. The counting of votes was held at the Baselius College in Kottayam.
The bypoll was a test of strength for both the Congress and the LDF. The Congress was hoping to retain the seat and consolidate its position in Kerala. The LDF was hoping to win the seat and register a moral victory.
The Congress victory is a major boost for the party ahead of the next Assembly elections in Kerala, which are due in 2026. The victory also shows that the Congress is still a major force in Kerala politics.