Palakkad: After a month-long electrified campaign and intense political battles, Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil emerged victorious in the Palakkad bypoll. Mamkootathil secured a decisive win defeating his closest rival, BJP’s C Krishnakumar, by a margin of 18,840 votes. He polled 58,389 votes in all.

The lead is the highest ever recorded in the constituency, surpassing the previous mark set by Shafi Parambil in 2016 when he won the election with a margin of 17,483 votes. Stepping into the Kerala Assembly, Mamkootathil cements his position as the successor to his long-time ally, Shafi, marking a significant milestone for the Congress in the region.

Dr P Sarin, the LDF-backed Independent who had stirred controversy with his sudden defection from Congress, ended up in third place. Despite the media buzz around his candidacy, Sarin's performance was below expectations. He secured 37,293 votes, 2,256 fewer than the BJP's total.

The bypoll was necessitated after Shafi vacated the Palakkad Assembly seat to represent Vadakara in the Lok Sabha. The contest carried high stakes for the Congress, as it aimed to retain one of its strongholds despite a reduced voter turnout of 70.51 per cent, compared to 75.37 per cent in 2021.  

The counting process, which began at 8 am at Government Victoria College, witnessed dramatic shifts in trends throughout. Initial rounds of postal ballots gave Krishnakumar an early lead, but Mamkootathil quickly gained ground, overtaking the BJP candidate by 9.30 am with a margin of over 1,000 votes.  

The race turned unpredictable by 10.30 am when the BJP reclaimed a slender lead of 400 votes. However, Mamkootathil regained dominance by 11 am, leading by 1,300 votes after seven rounds of counting. In a brief suspense, Sarin climbed to second place, pushing the BJP to third. But by the eighth round, Mamkootathil’s lead swelled to nearly 5,000 votes.  

As the counting progressed, Mamkootathil solidified his position, extending his lead to over 10,000 votes by 11.40 am. After 10 rounds, he had established an unassailable margin of 12,000 votes by noon, sealing a decisive victory. This result far exceeded the 3,859-vote margin achieved by Shafi in 2021, underscoring Mamkootathil’s potential as a significant force in Kerala politics.  

Celebrations erupted among United Democratic Front (UDF) supporters even before the final results were declared. Outside the polling station, jubilant workers paraded with trolley bags—a satirical nod to allegations that Mamkootathil had smuggled black money in a blue trolley bag during the campaign, a claim that became a hot topic in Kerala’s political circles.