Kerala Congress's Shoukath pulls ahead in Nilambur bypoll as counting progresses

    Malappuram (Kerala), Jun 23 (PTI) The Congress-led UDF maintained the lead ahead of the ruling LDF on Monday as the counting of votes polled in the June 19 bypoll for the Nilambur assembly seat progressed here.
    By the end of the 15th round of counting, Election Commission figures showed Aryadan Shoukath, the Congress-led UDF candidate, had taken a lead of 10,718 votes over M Swaraj of the ruling CPI(M).
    Shoukath is the son of late Congress stalwart Aryadan Muhammed, while Swaraj is a state secretariat member of the CPI(M).
    Independent candidate and two-time legislator P V Anvar delivered a strong performance in the Nilambur byelection, surprising both the UDF and the LDF. As of the 11th round of counting, Anvar, the state convenor of the Trinamool Congress contesting as an independent, had secured 11,578 votes, well ahead of BJP candidate Mohan George, who polled 4,575 votes.
    The counting process began at 8 am sharp at Chungathara Mar Thoma Higher Secondary School, after election officials opened the strong room storing the voting machines.
    Postal ballots were taken up first, followed by the counting of votes recorded in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 8.10 a m.
    With 263 polling booths and 19 rounds of counting scheduled, the day is expected to be long and tense for party workers and candidates.
    The Nilambur seat fell vacant following the resignation of sitting MLA Anvar, triggering a fierce political battle in the forest-fringe constituency.
    The byelection has drawn widespread attention and is seen as a mid-term test for the LDF government, now in its fourth year in office.
    For the Congress-led UDF, a win here would provide a much-needed boost ahead of the Assembly polls next year.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)