KERALA: The contest in Kerala's Palakkad Assembly bypoll was described as a triangular fight, but Congress candidate Rahul Mamkootathil on Saturday won by a record margin of over 18, 000 votes and it turned out to be more of a battle between the second- and third-placed candidates.
The Congress candidate's victory margin is the highest recorded in the constituency.
Soon after Mamkoothathil, who hails from Pathanamthitta district, was named as the Congress candidate for the Palakkad seat, the party suffered a shock when popular local Congress leader Dr P. Sarin slammed the party leadership in anguish and soon was seen in the company of the CPI-M leaders.
In a short time, Sarin was named as the Left-backed independent candidate, while the BJP brought in popular local leader C.Krishnakumar who had been a regular in a few elections in the Palakkad district and when the campaign began it had all the ingredients of a triangular contest.
When the counting of votes began on Saturday, it was Krishnakumar who was leading but seasoned Congress leaders in Palakkad knew that the advantage would disappear and it did as even in the BJP strongholds, Krishnakumar could not surge ahead.
The victory margin clearly shows that the BJP, even though it managed to finish in second place, has problems within the party as at the fag end of the campaign, it saw one of its hugely popular local faces Sandeep Warrier quitting the party and joining the Congress.
But the only reason for cheer for the state's ruling CPI-M is that they have been able to reduce their difference from the second-placed BJP to a mere 2, 252 votes, from 14, 000 in 2021.
So even though the BJP has finished second they will be smarting under losing more than 13, 000 votes as compared to 2021 Assembly polls.