Palakkad Bypoll: Rahul Mamkootathil secures huge win

Palakkad: The BJP and Congress-led UDF were locked in a fierce contest in the Palakkad Assembly bypolls on Saturday. However, it was Rahul Mamkootathil who emerged victorious, securing the win by a margin of 18,724 votes. BJP candidate C. Krishnakumar finished second, followed by P. Sarin.

BJP candidate C. Krishnakumar initially led in the postal ballots and early rounds but slipped to second place behind UDF's Rahul Mamkootathil. After eight rounds of counting, Mamkootathil  lead by over 10,000 votes. Interestingly, P. Sarin, who left Congress to stand as the LDF candidate, has dropped to third place.

Krishnakumar maintained a narrow lead throughout the initial rounds, but Rahul made a strong comeback from second place twice, posing a significant challenge for the BJP.

Meanwhile, Congress workers have begun celebrating in the constituency.

After Rahul took the lead, former BJP leader Sandeep Varier criticized the BJP leadership for the electoral setback, calling for BJP state president K. Surendran to step down.

BJP candidate C. Krishnakumar was leading after the first round, according to the Election Commission. However, the Congress-led UDF surged ahead of the BJP-led NDA after the early rounds, with UDF candidate Rahul Mamkootathil leading with 1,228 votes as the counting entered the third round.

The Palakkad bypoll votes are being counted at Victoria College, where the strong room was opened at 8 am.  

Among the 10 candidates contesting, the main contenders are Rahul Mamkootathil from the Congress-led UDF, C. Krishnakumar from the BJP-led NDA, and P. Sarin from the CPM-led LDF.

The by-election was called after Congress leader Shafi Parambil resigned from the seat following his election to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara in this year's general election.