High Stakes in Palakkad: A Key By-Election Amidst Political Tensions

The Palakkad assembly by-poll exhibited brisk voting with a turnout of 20.50% by 10.30 am. Key candidates from UDF, NDA, and LDF were in the fray. Security was tight, and the election held high importance for UDF to retain their stronghold amidst internal controversies involving candidate selection.

The Palakkad assembly by-election saw significant early voter turnout, with 20.50% of voters casting their votes by 10.30 am on Wednesday. The polls, which opened at 8 am, initially recorded a turnout of just 1.11%, but numbers rapidly increased as the morning progressed.

Voters eagerly lined up at 184 polling booths to elect their representative from a pool of 10 candidates. The election gained additional attention due to prominent contenders: Rahul Mamkootathil of the Congress-led UDF, C. Krishnakumar of the BJP-led NDA, and P. Sarin of the CPI(M)-led LDF.

The by-election was called after Shafi Parambil stepped down as an MLA following his Lok Sabha win. This election is critical for the UDF, facing challenges from Sarin, a former party insider, amidst intensified scrutiny over the candidate choice process.

(With inputs from agencies.)