The Congress won the Thrikkakara Assembly seat in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, where the ballots were counted on Friday, in a closely fought bypoll. As the counting advanced in the final lap, Congress candidate Uma Thomas, the widow of late legislator P T Thomas, defeated her nearest opponent Dr Jo Joseph of the CPI(M) by a margin of almost 25,000 votes.
Uma had a clear lead from the start of the counting and continued to widen her lead with each passing round. The bypoll was held following the death of P T Thomas, who had served as the Congress citadel’s representative since 2016. In 2021, Thomas won by 14,300 votes, but his wife Uma is expected to win by a far huge margin.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet ministers led the campaign. As part of the party’s door-to-door campaign, a long array of left leaders visited the constituency. Vijayan had set up camp in the constituency and kept a close eye on the campaign machinery. Vijayan and his government viewed the verdict as a mandate for development because the proposed semi-high-speed rail corridor crosses through Thrikkakara’s urban constituency.
The massive success in Thrikkakara will improve the Congress’ morale in Kerala, where the party has been trying to remain afloat since its rout in the 2021 Assembly elections. The bypoll served as a electoral test for the state’s new leadership, which includes incumbent state unit president K Sudhakaran and Opposition leader V D Satheesan. The victory would help the two solidify their positions in the state unit even more.
Featured Image: @reporterlive.com
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