Opposition Congress-UDF on Friday retained the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kerala as its candidate Chandy Oommen, son of former Chief Minister and Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy, won by a margin of over 37,000 votes in the bypoll.
Chandy Oommen, 37, held a lead of about 36,000 votes over his nearest rival and ruling LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas, thereby surpassing his father Oommen Chandy’s greatest victory margin of 33,255 votes in the 2011 Assembly elections. The late Congress leader represented Puthuppally in the state assembly for over five decades.
Oommen defeated Thomas by a margin of 37,719 votes. While Oommen gathered 80,144 votes, Thomas could get only 42,425 votes.
Chandy Oommen is currently the chairman of the Youth Congress’s national outreach cell. While addressing the media after his massive win, Chandy Oommen said “My father has been a member of every family in Puthuppally. He was a father, a brother, and a son to the people of Puthuppally. I would be here for all of you as my father had been for you. This is the victory of the people who loved my father. My father had been concerned about the development of Puthuppally over the last 53 years. That care and concern would continue. There would be continuity in development. It is a fitting reply to all those who have hunted my father.”
In the September 5 by-election, which was held following the death of Oommen Chandy, the voter turnout stood at 72.86 per cent.
The bypoll result, which came a few months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is seen as a huge setback for the ruling CPI(M), which has been facing allegations of corruption and nepotism from the opposition Congress-led UDF and the BJP.