- Polling begins for Lok Sabha seat of Malappuram in Kerala
- The seat fell vacant after the death of former Union Minister E Ahamed
- Over 13 lakh people are expected to cast their votes
- UDF is making efforts to retain their stronghold while the ruling LDF tries for an upset win
- 16% voter turnout till 9 am
16% Voter Turnout Till 9 am
Around 16 per cent votes were cast till 9 am in the byelection to Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala, officials said.
No untoward incident was reported so far while there were instances of malfunctioning of some electronic voting machines (EVMs) which were rectified, they said.
Congress-led-UDF candidate P K Kunhalikutty of Indian Union Muslim League, CPI-M’s M B Faisal of the ruling LDF and BJP nominee N Sreeprakash are the main contestants in fray.
Six independents are also trying their luck.
The high voltage campaign saw heated debates on beef versus development.
Polling Begins for Malappuram
Polling has begun for the Malappuram Lok Sabha seat.
Over 13 Lakh Voter Turnout Expected
Over 13 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the Wednesday bypoll to the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency.
The main contenders are Congress-led-UDF candidate PK Kunhalikutty of Indian Union Muslim League, CPI-M candidate MB Faizal of ruling LDF and BJP's N Sreeprakash. Six Independents are also in the fray.
There are more than 1,100 polling stations in the constituency with a total electorate of 13,12,693.
The seat fell vacant following the death of former Union minister and IUML leader E Ahamed.
Three-Pronged Fight Between LDF, UDF and BJP
The high-voltage campaign saw workers of the UDF, the LDF and the BJP engage in hectic canvassing. The UDF is making all efforts to retain their stronghold while the ruling LDF is trying for an upset win.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Ahamed had won the seat by a margin of 1,94,739 votes against the CPI(M)‘s PK Sainaba.
The UDF sought votes to protect secularism and strengthen secular forces at the national level while the LDF attacked the BJP on various issues.
The BJP highlighted the achievements the NDA government at the Centre and the "anti-people" policies of Kerala government.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
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