Stage is set in Kerala for a battle royale between the CPI(M) -led LDF and the Congress-led UDF as two assembly constituencies and the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency go to the by elections on November 13.

The assembly constituencies of Chelakkara and Palakkad fell vacant following the election of K Radhakrishnan (CPI-M) and Shaffi Parambil to Lok Sabha in the general election held in 2024 May. Both were members of the Kerala Legislature Assembly. Radhakrishnan was elected from Alathur Lok Sabha constituency defeating the sitting member Remya Haridas of the Indian National Congress by a margin of 20,111 votes.

Shafi Parambil of the INC was elected to Lok Sabha from Vatakara Lok Sabha constituency  trouncing K K Shailaja (CPI-M) by a huge margin of 1,14, 506 votes.

Rahul Gandhi was elected with a mammoth majority of more than 3.64 lakh votes (59.69 per cent) from Wayanad in the May 2024 Lok Sabha election. But he chose to retain the Rae Barelli seat and resigned from Wayand making the road clear for sister Priyanka Gandhi to contest the seat. Though the INC is yet to make any formal announcement regarding the party candidate to be fielded from Wayand, it is almost certain that Priyanka Gandhi would launch her electoral battle from the district atop the Western Ghats in Kerala.

While the CPI-M is confident of retaining the Chelakkara assembly seat thanks to the good work done by Radhakrishnan, the Congress is likely to field Remya Haridas, popularly known as the Malabar Princess from this reserved constituency.

It is going to be a cakewalk for the Congress in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency as the party is well placed than what it was during the General Election in May. The fact that a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family is the candidate has boosted the morale of the Congress cadre as well as that of its allies.

The LDF may have to find out a new candidate this time as Annie Raja of the CPI who challenged Rahul Gandhi last time ended up as an also ran forfeiting her security deposit. Though K Surendran, the BJP’s state president, claimed immediately after the dates of the by-poll was announced, that the NDA would win both the assembly constituencies, party insiders tell that even the former knows it well that the Hindutva brigade would make no change in the electoral scenes in Kerala. “At the best, the party may be able to finish third in the race,” said a senior BJP leader.

The suicide of Naveen Babu on Monday night, allegedly following public humiliation meted out to him by the District Panchayat President P P Divya of the CPI(M) is  likely to derail the party’s dreams of winning from Chelakkara,