Congress and BJP demand change of polling date in Palakkad due to Kalpathy Ratholsavam

Palakkad: Citing inconvenience, both Congress and BJP have called for the postponement of the byelection in the Palakkad assembly seat. They highlight that the famous Kalpathy chariot festival (Kalpathy Ratholsavam) is scheduled to begin on November 13. As this festival is one of the most popular temple celebrations in Palakkad, both parties are requesting that the byelection not be conducted on November 13, 14, and 15—the first three days of the festival.

“November 13 is the first day of the world-famous Kalpathy Ratholsavam. If the election is held on that day, it will be very difficult for the people of Palakkad. Therefore, we request the Election Commission of India to postpone the election to November 20,” said KM Haridas, BJP district president.

“Congress will examine whether the date mentioned in the election notification is appropriate. The Kalpathy Ratholsavam begins on the same day as the byelection, which would cause difficulties for the people of Palakkad,” stated Congress leader Shafi Parambil MP. “The candidate contesting from here will not be Shafi Parambil’s nominee but rather the party’s nominee,” he added.