UDF’s Congress candidate Chandy Oommen, son of former Chief minister Ommen Chandy, registered a massive victory with a record margin of 37,719 votes in the bypoll held for Puthuppally constituency.
Riding on the sympathy wave caused by the death of the veteran Congress leader Ommen Chandy and perceived anti-government sentiments against the LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan, Chandy Oommen maintained a steady lead right from the first round and raised it to 37,719 votes in the final round.
In the electoral battle ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Oommen defeated LDF’s Jaick C Thomas. Chandy Oommen secured 80,144 votes, while Jaick got 42,425 votes.The BJP candidate Lijin Lal secured only 6486 votes, 5208 votes less than the votes received by the BJP candidate in 2016.
Chandy Oommen has registered the highest majority in the constituency’s history in an election where anti-incumbency wave against the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala along with a massive sympathy wave triggered by the death of Ommen Chandy caught the sentiments of the voters of Puthuppally.
Responding to the Congress victory in Puthuppally, senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala said the people have rooted out the LDF from the constituency. The result is a warning against the anti-people rule of the LDF government, Chennithala said.
“The spectacular victory of UDF in the Puthuppally bye-elections is a clear message to the Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan governments. Both the BJP and CPI-M have been thrown out by the people of Puthuppally. No by-election in Kerala has had such a landslide margin. The message is very clear,” he added
Meanwhile, LDF convener E P Jayarajan put the blame on the BJP for the LDF’s defeat in Puthuppally. “Where have all the BJP votes gone? Their candidate has not even gotten assured votes,” said Jayarajan.
CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan attributed the UDF’s victory in Puthuppally byelection to ‘sympathy wave’ following the death of Oommen Chandy. He said that despite the sympathy wave, the party’s base remained intact without any significant erosion of votes.
Though the BJP leaders have actively campaigned for their candidate Lijin Lal, the party secured only 6486 votes, 5208 votes less than the votes received by the BJP candidate in 2016.
Political observers say that many a BJP workers and BJP sympathisers have voted for the UDF candidate, that was happened not because of any secret pact struck between the BJP and the Congress, as alleged by the CPI-M.
It is said that a large number of the BJP workers who are sore over the stance taken by the Central probe agencies on the serious allegations against Pinarayi Vijayan and his family, had voted for the UDF.
By voting in favour of the UDF candidate, these BJP workers were protesting against the BJP leadership at the Centre and the state against their alleged stance of’ protecting ‘ Pinarayi Vijayan and his family, who are facing serious allegations.