P.K. Kunhalikutty, national general secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was elected to the Lok Sabha with a thumping margin of 171,038 votes in the Malappuram by-election held last Wednesday. When the ballots were counted on Monday morning, Mr. Kunhalikutty polled 515,325 votes and his nearest rival M.B. Faisal of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) 344,287 votes. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate N. Sreeprakash got only 65,662 votes. As many as 4,098 votes were polled for NOTA (none of the above). Enthusiastic supporters and leaders of the United Democratic Front (UDF), of which the IUML is a major partner, began celebrating the victory of Mr. Kunhalikutty across the State. A triumphant Mr. Kunhalikutty expressed joy and gratitude to the people of Malappuram. It was the death of IUML national president E. Ahamed on February 1, after he collapsed in Parliament on the eve of the Budget day, that brought about the by-election. Ahamed was elected from the seat by a record margin of 1.94 lakh votes in 2014.
