Wayanad/ Thrissur: As the by-elections approach in Kerala, public campaigning for Wayanad’s Lok Sabha constituency and Chelakkara’s Assembly constituency is set to conclude today. Voters in these areas will head to the polls on Wednesday, November 13. In Wayanad, where the contest is expected to be especially significant, UDF candidate Priyanka Gandhi is spearheading two major rallies with support from her brother, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. They are expected to address crowds at Sulthan Bathery and Thiruvambady, rallying last-minute support for the UDF. Meanwhile, the LDF candidate, Sathyan Mokeri, is hosting a roadshow in Kalpetta, and BJP’s Navya Haridas will conclude her campaign in Chungam, Sulthan Bathery.
Chelakkara has also seen intense campaigning with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan leading the LDF’s efforts for candidate U R Pradeep through six major public meetings in recent days. Congress leaders, including KPCC President K Sudhakaran and State Assembly Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, have actively campaigned for UDF candidate Ramya Haridas. The NDA, represented by K Balakrishnan, is aiming for a strong performance, following their success in the recent Thrissur Lok Sabha election.
This election cycle includes the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and by-elections for the Chelakkara and Palakkad Assembly seats. However, the Palakkad poll, originally scheduled for November 13, has been postponed to November 20 due to the Kalpathy Ratholsavam festival. In Palakkad, Congress candidate Rahul Mamkoottathil will compete against CPM’s Dr P Sarin and BJP’s C Krishnakumar.
The Wayanad seat was vacated after Rahul Gandhi, who won the constituency twice, opted to retain his Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi, contesting her debut election, now represents the Congress in this constituency. The Chelakkara seat opened up following K Radhakrishnan’s election to the Lok Sabha from Alathur, while Palakkad’s vacancy arose after Shafi Parambil’s move to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara. As campaigning winds down, candidates and party leaders are making their final appeal to voters in a fiercely contested by-election season across Kerala.
