The CPI(M)-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has won a landslide victory in the Chengannur Assembly by-election.
Saji Cherian
The LDF candidate Saji Cherian (CPI(M)) defeated his nearest rival United Democratic Front's (UDF) D. Vijayakumar (Congress) by a margin of 20,956. The BJP leader and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate P.S. Sreedharan Pillai came a distant third. The margin of victory is the biggest the Chengannur Assembly constituency has ever witnessed.
The LDF candidate polled 67,303 votes, followed by the UDF 46,347 votes and the NDA 35,270 votes.
Mr. Cherian maintained a steady lead soon after the counting of votes commenced at 8 a.m. He made inroads into the traditional UDF strongholds of Mannar, Thiruvanvandoor, Pandanad, and Chengannur Municipalities.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of CPI(M) MLA K.K. Ramachandran Nair. In 2016 Assembly poll, Nair had won from Chengannur by a margin of 7,983 votes.
The outcome is significant for the ruling front as it is seen as an assessment of the two-year-old State government.
