The United Democratic Front workers have erupted into frenzied jubilations here as the Congress leader Chandy Oommen has won by a landslide in the by-election held to the Puthuppally Assembly constituency, a seat represented by his father Oommen Chandy for 53 years.
Riding on a massive sympathy wave triggered by the death of the veteran Congress leader and a perceived anti-incumbency wave against the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala, Mr. Oommen maintained a steady lead right from the first round and raised it to 36454 votes in the final round. In the process, he has also overtaken the highest margin of 33,255 votes recorded by his father against the LDF candidate Suja Susan George in 2011.
