Crucial Kerala assembly bypoll today

Kozhikode: After a fortnight of fierce campaigning by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF ) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), voters in the Tiruvambadi Assembly constituency go to vote in a key by-election today.

The bypoll outcome will be known after the counting of votes on December 7 by noon.

Polling arrangements in the 153 booths have been finalised and security measures have been stepped up. The Election Commission yesterday ordered political party workers from outside the constituency to move out of it as part of tightening security measures.

The police were directed to implement the order.

Those political parties which flouted the order would be proceeded against, the Commission said. The election necessitated by the death of Mathai Chacko of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF brought almost all top leaders of both the fronts into active electioneering.

The UDF's campaign was led by former chief minister and Congress leader Oommen Chandy and a battery of leaders, including Union Ministers E. Ahamad and A. K. Antony.

They sought to highlight the lapses of the ruling LDF in its six-month-long rule and called for giving shock treatment‚ to the LDF by defeating it.

Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan and CPI-M State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and a host of Ministers led the LDF defence.

The LDF expressed the hope that it would retain the seat with a larger majority than last time when Mathai Chacko won the seat by a majority of more than 5,400 votes.

Mathai Chacko had defeated the Indian Union Muslim League's C. Mayin Haji in the last election.

Besides UDF's IUML nominee V. M. Ummer and LDF's George M. Thomas, the only other prominent candidate left in the six-corner contest is the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party's Gireesh Thevally.