Stephan Kayyar

Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (EP)

Kasargod, Sep 21: The by-election for Manjeshwar Vidhan Sabha constituency seat that remained vacant after the death of Muslim League’s P B Abdul Razak in October 2018 will be held on October 21. The votes will be counted on October 24. The notification will be published on October 23. September 30 is the last day to file nomination. The election code of conduct is enforced from today. The nominations will be scrutinized on October 1. October 3 is the last date to withdraw nominations.

P B Abdul Razak had won with a margin of only 89 votes against BJP’s K Surendran in 2016.

The by-election was delayed as BJP candidate K Surendran had filed a case in high court alleging that P B Abdul Razak had won with fake votes. The by-election is curious as UDF, LDF and BJP have equal stakes in it.

The parties are on the lookout for candidates soon after the election was announced. The names of M C Khamaruddin, Manjeshwar block panchayat president A K M Ashraf and A Abdul Rehman can be heard from UDF. But a new face cannot be ruled out at the last minute. The names of K Surendran, Kuntaru Ravish Tantri and K Srikanth are heard from BJP but the possibilities of K Surendran contesting again are more. The names of CPM district committee member K R Jayananda, Shanker Rai Master and former MLA C H Kunhambu are prominent in LDF.

All the parties are thinking of putting Kannadigas in the fray as the votes of Kannadigas are more. It is said that the parties are discussing about local candidates.

While UDF won by a margin of 89 votes in 2016 Vidhan Sabha elections, UDF candidate had won against BJP candidate by over eleven thousand votes in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.