Kottayam: "This is a historic day for new Puthuppally," LDF candidate Jaick C Thomas said on Tuesday. He was speaking to the media after the Puthuppally constituency bypoll commenced at 7am.
"Personal insults or glorification are not relevant in elections. I shared thoughts on how lives of Puthuppally residents can be improved. I invited the UDF candidate for a discussion on development and friendly dialogue. But the UDF ran away from the discussion," Jaick said.
He said that the election was a litmus test of the LDF government's performance and expressed confidence in winning the election. Jaick cast his vote at the Manarcadu Lower Primary School on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, UDF candidate Chandy Oommen said that people will decide the fate of Puthuppally.
"The Left government thwarted the development in Puthuppally," Chandy Oommen said while responding to Jaick's allegations. He will cast his vote at the Georgian Public School at Puthuppally by 9am.
The bypoll was necessitated on account of the death of former Kerala Chief Minister and Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy in July this year. The by-election was announced less than a month after his demise.
While the Left hopes to breach the Congress fortress for 53 years, the latter expects to secure an easy win riding on the 'anti-incumbency' wave in the state and late Oommen Chandy's legacy.
Over 1.75 lakh registered voters are expected to cast their votes in 182 polling stations of the constituency.
