Wayanad/Thrissur: Chelakkara and Wayanad will head to the polling booths tomorrow. Silent campaigning began in both constituencies on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming bypolls in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and Chelakkara Assembly. Candidates and parties are racing to secure every vote. The first voting phase in the Jharkhand Assembly election will also take place on Wednesday.
In Chelakkara, political expectations are high, driven by electoral numbers. The constituency consists of nine panchayats: Kondazhi, Thiruvilwamala, Pazhayannur, Chelakkara, Panjal, Vallathol Nagar, Mullurkara, Varavoor, and Desamangalam.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) currently controls six panchayats, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) holds three. The UDF secured control of Thiruvilwamala through a draw, as both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and UDF were evenly matched.
Former MLA U R Pradeep is contesting as the CPM candidate in the constituency. The Congress is fielding former MP Ramya Haridas, and the BJP is represented by K Balakrishnan.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the LDF led 110 out of Chelakkara’s 177 polling booths, while the UDF led 64 and the NDA in three. The LDF has won Chelakkara in the last six Assembly elections, with a victory margin of 39,400 votes in 2021.
However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, K. Radhakrishnan’s lead in the Chelakkara constituency fell to 5,173 votes, giving Congress renewed hope.
Meanwhile, a pan-Indian contest is set to unfold in Wayanad with UDF candidate Priyanka Gandhi, LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri, and NDA candidate Navya Haridas competing for votes. Starting at 7 am, 1.4 million voters will head to the polls here.
The Wayanad constituency has seen four weeks of intensive campaigning, drawing national and state leaders, central ministers, and chief ministers to the field. Campaign activities included roadshows, spirited debates, and speeches aimed at swaying voters.
The constituency has 1,471,742 registered voters and 1,354 polling booths. In the previous election, voter turnout reached 72.69%, with current projections suggesting an increase.