From the beginning, the Puthuppally byelection was a one-horse race. But it had nothing to do with the quality of candidates fielded by the two major fronts. A strong wave of sympathy for the departed Congress leader Oommen Chandy, who represented the constituency for over five decades, obviously worked to the advantage of his son, the United Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Chandy Oommen.
But what helped him post a massive win was the anti-incumbency factor that the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) chose to gloss over. While the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member M.A. Baby admitted the need for introspection by his party and the Left front, many in the top echelons of the party in the State resorted to the strawman argument of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose candidate forfeited his deposit, having played a role in the UDF’s landslide win. Mr. Baby, too, pointed to a coming together of ‘anti-Left votes’ including those of BJP supporters. The fact is that the BJP has never been a force to reckon with in the constituency.
