Low turnout in Priyanka Gandhi's debut contest in Wayanad, Chelakkara records respectable percentage

Thiruvananthapuram:The Wayanad Lok Sabha by-elections in which Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is making her electoral debut, saw a decrease in voter turnout, with the constituency registering 64.71 percent of votes by 8 pm.

As the Election Commission permitted voters in the polling booth premises before 6 pm to vote, this percentage is expected to increase.

Nevertheless, the voter turnout was notably lower than the Lok Sabha elections held in May 2024, where 73.57 percent of voters cast their ballots. This year's turnout was also significantly less than in 2019, when the constituency saw 80.37 percent polling. At that time, Rahul Gandhi, contesting for the first time from Wayanad, won by a margin of 4.31 lakh votes.

In 2024, Rahul Gandhi's victory margin decreased to 3.64 lakh. The low voter turnout has raised concerns for the Congress-led UDF, which had claimed a victory margin of over 5 lakh for Priyanka Gandhi.

"As per our reports, the polling percentage has dropped in CPM and BJP strongholds, contributing to the low turnout. We will also analyze the voter turnout in our areas once the polling concludes. Nevertheless, I am confident that Priyanka Gandhi will secure a win by a margin greater than Rahul Gandhi's in 2019," stated Opposition Leader V D Satheeshan.

Muslim League MLA P K Basheer said his party would look into the reasons for low voter turnout in their strongholds.

Priyanka Gandhi who campaigned extensively in the constituency, is facing CPI's seasoned politician Sathyan Mokeri and BJP's young leader Navya Haridas.

Meanwhile, the Chelakkara Assembly constituency experienced a respectable turnout, with 72.77 percent of votes recorded by 8 pm. Voters who had arrived at the polling stations before 6 pm were still queued to cast their votes. In the 2021 assembly elections, this constituency recorded a 77.40 percent turnout. In the last Lok Sabha elections saw the Chelakkara assembly segment achieved a slightly higher turnout.

In Chelakkara, LDF's U R Pradeep is in a contest with Remya Haridas of the Congress-led UDF and K Balakrishnan of the BJP.

The Palakkad assembly by-election, postponed due to the Kalpathy temple Ratholsavam, will be held on November 20. The counting of votes across all constituencies is scheduled for November 23.