Kerala Lok Sabha Bypolls 2024 | Satheesan pledges full accountability if Congress suffers setback

Palakkad (Kerala): With the crucial assembly and Lok Sabha by-polls just days away in Kerala, senior Congress leader V D Satheesan said on Tuesday that if his party faced a setback in the elections, he alone would be accountable.

Expressing confidence over the victory of the Congress-led UDF candidates in the fray, he noted that the entire party apparatus and its leaders are working effectively in their respective constituencies, and if there is a victory, it will be the result of collective effort.

By-elections would be held in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and two assembly segments of Palakkad and Chelakkara.

While Wayanad and Palakkad are the sitting seats of the UDF, Chelakkara has been a CPI (M) bastion for long.

"I will 100 per cent take responsibility for the election result... If there is victory, it is not mine alone. It will be the result of collective work. All party leaders are working in such an effective manner," Satheesan said.

Indicating that things are unpredictable in electoral politics, he said if the party suffers any setback, he will be solely responsible for that.

"After all, it is politics and elections," he said.

Though the by-polls in all three segments in the state were scheduled for November 13, the election in Palakkad constituency was rescheduled to November 20 citing Kalpathy chariot festival.

The Leader of Opposition in the state assembly said the party had been demanding since the beginning that the by-poll be postponed in Palakkad in view of the temple festival.

"The festival falls on November 13,14 and 15. Thousands of people are converging here on the days of the festival and not even a movement is possible on those days," he said.

Satheesan said in Palakkad, the contest is between the Congress and BJP.

UDF candidate Rahul Mamkootathil would win by a margin of over 10,000 votes, he asserted.

Taking a dig at Sarin, the former digital media convenor of the KPCC, who is contesting as LDF candidate in Palakkad, the LoP said by naming him as their candidate, the ruling front has decided to settle for third position after the BJP.

The sitting MLAs Shafi Parambil and K Radhakrishnan were elected to the Lok Sabha in the recent general election necessitating the by-elections in Palakkad and Chelakkara, respectively.

Wayanad would go to by-poll after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat.