Counting of votes for the Malappuram Lok Sabha byelection will be held on Monday, with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) candidate P.K. Kunhalikutty hoping to break a psychological barrier of bettering the margin recorded by the late E. Ahamed in this constituency which is regarded as the unbreakable bastion of the party.
The results will be out by 10 a.m. and Mr. Kunhalikutty hopes to crunch the 2-lakh barrier surpassing the over 1.94 lakh record margin registered by Ahamed, whose death caused the byelection.
Other candidates
Left Democratic Front candidate M.B. Faisal and BJP candidate N. Sreeprakash are still hopeful about a positive result, despite common wisdom suggesting otherwise. Given the political dynamics of the constituency, no one expects a major upset here.
Still, the victory margin would prove to be a psychological barrier for the IUML in view of its ambitions in national politics and its hope of bridging the divide in national Muslim politics.
Despite all its undertones, political parties, candidates and party workers observed restraint during electioneering in this constituency.
The initial sparring about dubious underhand dealings gave way to a personalised campaign in the second and final lap. For the IUML, a victory with a huge margin is imperative since the BJP is ruling at the Centre with Narendra Modi at the helm of affairs. The Congress too wants to ensure a huge margin and it had pressed its entire battery of leaders for the campaign to re-emphasise the importance it gave to Mr. Kunhalikutty’s contest.
