In Kerala, all preparations are in place for the by-elections tomorrow in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and the Chelakkara reserved Assembly constituency.
The distribution of polling materials is underway today in both constituencies. A high profile contest is on the cards in Wayanad, with Congress party’s Priyanka Gandhi making her electoral debut under the United Democratic Front (UDF) banner.
Challenging her is CPI’s Sathyan Mokeri of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) , and BJP’s Navya Haridas of the NDA. A total of 16 candidates are in the fray. The constituency has 1,354 polling stations, of which 11 are marked as sensitive. Of the total 14,71,742 voters in the constituency, 7,46,684 are women.
Special arrangements have been made for voters affected by the July landslides. Three polling booths at Chooralmala and Meppady have been set up and free bus services have been arranged by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation. The election follows the resignation of Rahul Gandhi who chose to represent Rae Bareli, after he won from both the seats in the last General Elections.
In the Chelakkara Assembly constituency, six candidates are contesting, with the main battle between U R Pradeep of the LDF, Remya Haridas of the UDF, and K Balakrishnan of the NDA. The constituency has 2,13,103 voters, including 1,11,197 women and three transgenders. 14 polling booths in the constituency are classified as sensitive.
Chelakkara bypoll is being held following the resignation of former State Minister K Radhakrishnan, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Alathur in the last General Elections. In a related incident, the election surveillance squad seized ₹25 lakh from a vehicle in Cheruthuruthy. Investigations are underway to trace its source.
