Congress MP Shashi Tharoor with party candidate and former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy's son Chandy Oommen during his election campaign ahead of Puthuppally Assembly constituency by-polls, in Kottayam, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo
As the campaigning for the September 5 Puthuppally bypoll ended on Sunday, the Congress party is highly hopeful that former CM Oommen Chandy's son Chandy Oommen will be able to retain his father's 53-year-old bastion with a thumping victory.
Meanwhile, ruling CPM is hopeful that the party young gun Jaick C Thomas, who had put up a good fight against Oommen Chandy in 2021 polls, could prevent Chandy Oommen from gaining a huge margin. However, the emotions are running high in Puthuppally afer the demise of Oommen Chandy.
Meanwhile, BJP has fielded party district president Lijin Lal in the fray.
A barely one month-long campaign witnessed a slew of personal attacks on social media targeting family members of the candidates. Even Chandy Oommen's sister and Jaick C Thomas' wife had to approach the police against the social media mudslinging.
Oommen Chandy had been Puthuppally's MLA for 53 years in a row from 1970 till his death on July 18. Jaick had managed to bring down Chandy's margin from 27,000 in 2016 to around 9,000 votes in 2021. Pro-Left wave and the shift of regional party Kerala Congress (M) from Congress camps to the CPM camps were considered to be the reasons for the fall in Chandy's margin in 2021.
The wave of emotions in Puthuppally over Oommen Chandy's death could turn in favour of Chandy Oommen in terms of votes this time. On the other hand, CPM is hopeful that Jaick, who hails from the constituency, may be able to resist the emotional factor to a certain extent by campaigning that the constituency lacked adequate development over the years.
Congress has been countering with a slew of allegations against CPM government, including the latest one pertaining to an incriminating report of Income Tax department on the business deals of CM Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter with a controversial mining businessman.
Congress veterans like A K Antony and Shashi Tharoor were among those who had campaigned for Chandy, while Pinarayi and other CPM leaders rallied support for Thomas.
Since the Left-front government has a comfortable majority in the Kerala Assembly, the bypoll result will not pose any threat to the government.
The counting will be on September 8.