16 Candidates in Fray for Wayanad LS Bypoll

Thiruvananthapuram: Sixteen candidates remain in the contest for the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election after the deadline for withdrawing nomination papers ended on Wednesday.

The main contenders are Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress-led UDF, Sathyan Mokeri of the CPM-led LDF, and Navya Haridas of the BJP-led NDA.

All three candidates have completed the first two rounds of campaigning in the constituency. Priyanka Gandhi, who addressed street corner meetings in seven assembly segments across Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts on Monday and Tuesday, has left for Delhi.

The state Congress leaders said Priyanka will be back soon to resume campaigning in the constituency. The bypoll will be held on November 13.

The CPI candidate, Sathyan Mokeri, continued his campaign with door-to-door visits and street corner meetings. The BJP candidate, Navya Haridas, has also intensified her campaign in the constituency by holding public meetings in various assembly segments.

In the Palakkad assembly by-election, 10 candidates remain in contention. P Sarin, endorsed by the LDF, has received the stethoscope as his election symbol.

The primary contenders are Rahul Mamkootathil of Congress, LDF's P Sarin, and BJP's C Krishnakumar. Sarin switched allegiance to the LDF after being denied a ticket by the UDF.

In Thrissur district's Chelakkara assembly by-election, six candidates are competing, including former MLA U Pradeep for the LDF, ex-MP Ramya Haridas for the UDF, and K Balakrishnan for the BJP. Additionally, the UDF faces a challenge from N K Sudheer, a dissenting Congress leader running under the banner of the Democratic Movement of Kerala (DMK), founded by MLA P V Anwar.