Priyanka wins Wayanad Lok Sabha seat by over 4.1 lakh votes

Palakkad (Kerala): The BJP-led NDA candidate C Krishnakumar took an initial lead in the Palakkad Assembly bypoll as the counting of votes commenced on Saturday, according to TV channels.

Krishnakumar got 1,016 votes after the first phase of counting, which included postal ballots.

However, there was no official confirmation from the Election Commission in this regard.

Among the 10 candidates contesting, the main contenders are Rahul Mamkootathil from the Congress-led UDF, C Krishnakumar from the BJP-led NDA, and P Sarin from the CPI(M)-led LDF.

The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of Congress leader Shafi Parambil, who vacated the seat after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara in the general election this year. - PTI

Bengaluru: Early trends show the ruling Congress leading in Sandur segment, and BJP and JD(S) ahead in Shiggaon and Channapatna constituencies respectively, as the counting of votes is underway for bypolls held in three Assembly segments in Karnataka.

The by-election for three segments was held on November 13, and the trends show the three parties leading in the seats they had represented in the past.

The bypolls for Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna were necessitated as the seats fell vacant following the election of their respective representatives -- E Tukaram of Congress, former CM Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) to Lok Sabha in May elections.

The bypolls witnessed a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Sandur and Shiggaon segments, while in Channapatna, JD(S) which is part of the NDA took on the grand old party.

In Channapatna, which witnessed a “high profile” battle, among the three segments, JD(S)' actor-turned-politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is the son of Kumaraswamy and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's grandson, is leading against Congress' C P Yogeeshwara.

A five-time MLA from the segment and a former minister, Yogeeshwara is also an actor-turned-politician. He had joined the Congress after quitting the BJP ahead of his nomination.

BJP and JD(S) leaders had together campaigned for Nikhil in Channapatna.

In Shiggaon, the BJP's Bharath Bommai, son of Basavaraj Bommai is leading against Congress' Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, who had faced defeat against the former chief minister in the 2023 Assembly polls.

In Sandur, Bellary MP Tukaram's wife E Annapurna of Congress is leading in the seat vacated by her husband, against BJP ST Morcha president Bangaru Hanumanthu.

With Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Bharath Bommai contesting, the third generation of Gowda and Bommai families were in the fray in this bypoll battle. Both their fathers and grandfathers have served as Karnataka's chief ministers in the past. - PTI

Wayanad (Kerala): Congress-led UDF candidate Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was in the lead by over 35,000 votes after one hour of counting of the ballots polled in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll in Kerala on Saturday, according to TV channel reports. According to figures released by the Election Commission, Priyanka is leading by 4,374 votes. The counting of votes polled commenced at 8 am with postal ballots being taken up first. The strong rooms, where the EVMs were kept, were opened more than an hour before counting began. The bypoll for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat was held on November 13. Of the 16 candidates who contested, the main contenders are Priyanka, who is making her electoral debut, CPI(M)-led LDF's Sathyan Mokeri, a political veteran, and BJP-headed NDA's Navya Haridas. - PTI

Thrissur (Kerala): Ruling LDF candidate U R Pradeep took an initial lead of over 1,500 votes as counting of votes for the Assembly bypoll began in Kerala's Chelakkara segment here on Saturday, according to TV channel reports. However, there was no official confirmation from the Election Commission in this regard.

Pradeep, a former MLA of the CPI(M), got a lead as postal votes were counted initially, it said. While Pradeep and ex-MP Ramya Haridas are the candidates of the LDF and Opposition Congress-led UDF respectively, K Balakrishnan is trying his luck as BJP nominee in Chelakkara.

A bypoll was necessitated in Chelakkara segment, a Left bastion for years, as the then MLA and former Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan was elected to Lok Sabha this year. - PTI