Thiruvananthapuram: The much-anticipated results of the Wayanad Lok Sabha, Chelakkara, and Palakkad assembly byelections were declared on Saturday. While Congress' Priyanka Gandhi won by over 4 lakh votes in Wayanad, LDF's U R Pradeep retained the Left stronghold in Chelakkara with a margin of more than 12,000 votes. In Palakkad, UDF's Rahul Mamkootathil defeated BJP's C Krishnakumar with a record margin of 18,849.

Vote counting which began at 8 am on Friday concluded by 1 pm. The elections saw intense campaigns by major political parties, including the Congress-led UDF, the BJP-led NDA, and the CPM-led LDF, each vying to secure a stronghold in the state.

The byelections were necessitated due to sitting legislators vacating their seats for various reasons, including moving to the Lok Sabha. While Wayanad is the spotlight for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s electoral debut, Palakkad has emerged as a fierce triangular battle, and Chelakkara remains a test of the LDF's ability to retain its traditional stronghold. With voter turnout dipping in all three constituencies compared to previous elections, political analysts are eager to see how this will impact the outcomes.

Wayanad
In Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her electoral debut in a Congress stronghold previously represented by her brother, Rahul Gandhi. She secured a majority of 4,03,966 votes, surpassing the 3.64 lakh votes Rahul Gandhi had received. LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri and BJP's Navya Haridas finished second and third, respectively.

Priyanka achieved a decisive victory despite a significant drop in voter turnout to 64.72%—down from 72.92% in 2021 and 80.33% in 2019. The reduced turnout had raised concerns within the UDF about a potential impact on her majority. Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat to represent Raebareli in the Lok Sabha, paving the way for Priyanka's candidacy.

Palakkad
In Palakkad, Rahul Mamkootathil clinched victory, succeeding his long-time ally Shafi Parambil in the Kerala Assembly. Mamkootathil achieved a resounding win, defeating his closest rival, BJP’s C Krishnakumar, by a margin of 18,840 votes.

Dr P Sarin, the LDF-backed Independent whose sudden defection from the Congress had sparked controversy, finished in third place. Despite the media buzz surrounding his candidacy, Sarin's performance failed to meet expectations.

The Palakkad byelection had turned into a closely fought battle between the BJP, UDF, and LDF, with voter turnout dropping to 70.51% from 75.37% in 2021. Palakkad went to the polls after former MLA Shafi Parambil was elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara.

Chelakkara
In Chelakkara, a traditional LDF stronghold, CPM's UR Pradeep secured victory with a margin of 12,201 votes. For the LDF, this bypoll was significant, as former MLA K Radhakrishnan had represented the constituency for four consecutive terms.

UDF candidate Ramya Haridas, who aimed to capitalize on anti-incumbency sentiments to wrest the seat from the LDF, finished in second place, while BJP's K Balakrishnan came third.

Voter turnout in Chelakkara was 72.51%, a notable decline from 77.40% in 2021. The bypoll was necessitated by K Radhakrishnan's election to the Lok Sabha from the Alathur constituency.