BJP leads in Palakkad Assembly seat in 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.