'My Father's 13th Win': Key Takeaways From Chandy Oommen's Puthuppally Victory

Chandy Oommen won the by-elections by a whopping margin of 37,719 votes.

UDF's candidate Chandy Oommen (L) and LDF's candidate Jaick C Thomas.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Puthuppally has, yet again, gone the Chandy way.

Congress-led United Democratic Front's (UDF) Chandy Oommen won the by-elections to the constituency in Kerala's Kottayam district by a whopping margin of 37,719 votes, defeating the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front's (LDF) Jaick C Thomas.

The son of Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy, who had represented Puthuppally for a record 53 years in the Kerala Assembly till his demise on 18 July, Chandy Oommen said after the win on Friday, 8 September:

"This is my father's 13th win. I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to all Puthuppally voters. I shall work for the betterment of all those who voted for me and against me. We shall work together for the development of Puthuppally."

Unsurprising as his victory may be – considering the massive sympathy wave that followed Oommen Chandy's death – Chandy Oommen managed to surpass his father's highest vote margin ever (33,255 in the 2021 Assembly elections).

But can this massive win be fully attributed to a wave of sympathy? What does the election result mean for the UDF's and LDF's futures with respect to the 'INDIA' bloc? Here are some key takeaways.

The Legacy of Oommen Chandy

If over half a century's worth of support wasn't enough, Oommen Chandy's hold over Puthuppally was evident in the way the people of the constituency came together to bid goodbye to the 79-year-old leader.

Just days after his demise – when Puthuppally was still in mourning – the Election Commission announced the date for the bypoll. The Congress was quick to capitalise on the emotions of voters and fielded Chandy Oommen – who has been working with the party at an organisational level since his college days.

The LDF, on the other hand, was hoping to finally breach the unbreachable Puthuppally with Jaick C Thomas, who had contested against Chandy twice in the past – in 2016 and 2021. While he was defeated both times, in the previous Assembly elections, Thomas managed to considerably reduce Chandy's victory margin (from 27,000 votes in 2016 to 9,000 votes in 2021).

This was what the LDF was banking on. Moreover, from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to local leaders, the Left's campaigning in Puthuppally was extensive.

Fully aware that a personal attack on Oommen Chandy wouldn't work in Puthuppally, the LDF took a different route in its campaigning by arguing that the constituency "lacked development." But this proved to be difficult, with Chandy's family accusing the Left of tainting his legacy throughout the campaign.

As AK Balan, a minister in the LDF government, pointed out:

"There's nothing surprising about this [UDF's victory]. This is a constituency held by Oommen Chandy for 53 years. A constituency that has seen the UDF win by a margin of 33,000 votes in the past. For the LDF to win, it would have taken a miracle."

But was that all it was?

The Incumbency Factor

"When we look at the previous elections' matrix, we know that Puthuppally is a personality-centric constituency," political journalist MP Basheer told The Quint.

But he argued that politically speaking, "it is actually a balanced segment."

"It is an ambivalent constituency because six out of the eight panchayats in Puthuppally are ruled by the LDF itself. The CPI(M) has a solid base here. It is not a UDF bastion technically, it's an Oommen Chandy bastion," he contended.

Moreover, the voter turnout in the bypoll (72.91 percent) was lower than that of the Assembly elections in 2021 (74.9 percent) – and low turnouts have generally favoured the LDF in the past.

"So, it is not just a sympathy factor, there is a solid anti-incumbency factor here as well. This defeat for CPI(M) and LDF can be construed as a verdict against their government," Basheer added.

Naturally, this was echoed by the Congress as well. After the win, Congress veteran Ramesh Chennithala said that "the result is a warning against the anti-people rule of the LDF government."

Speaking to The Quint, a senior Congress leader and MLA said: "The love and respect for Oommen Chandy have worked in our favour. There's an emotional side to this, we agree. But there is also a political side, because of the anti-people policies of the LDF government."

The by-election comes on the heels of a controversy surrounding the Chief Minister's daughter Veena, after an Income Tax department report alleged that an "illegal" payment of Rs 1.72 crore was made to her IT firm over three years.

Add to this the K-Rail protests that rocked the Madappally area in Kottayam district last year, where Puthuppally is located.

The Future of Puthuppally

But on the flipside, will a win based on Oommen Chandy's memory help UDF in the coming electoral fights?

"Chandy Oommen won this election because of Oommen Chandy, and it is likely that this wave won't last for long. When we come to the next Assembly elections in 2026, things may be different. This may not be the birth of another Oommen Chandy if his son doesn't keep up with his work," opined Basheer.

The Congress MLA, however, told The Quint: "Each election happens in a particular context. The next election will depend on the political circumstances then. But this win has given us a lot of hope."

There is also the matter of the Congress and the CPI(M) allying nationally through the 'INDIA' bloc, a narrative the BJP tried to capitalise on during its campaign for its candidate in Puthuppally, G Lijin Lal, who failed to make a mark.

Basheer opined that the UDF-LDF fight in Kerala might create confusion not just among Puthuppally voters but across the state "because they have to fight the Lok Sabha election together at the national level."

But the UDF believes that unity at the Centre would not affect its relationship with the LDF locally.

"Kerala has always been like this – the CPI(M) and Congress has always been here. Even though there's a unity at the centre, doesn't mean at the local level it should be there. We're trying to get the anti-BJP votes nationally, and even if there may be differences locally, it won't affect anything at the Centre," he added.