THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A tight contest was witnessed in Vattiyyoorkavu at the by-polls held in five assembly constituencies the other day. However, after polling, BJP candidate S Suresh has come out with allegations blaming the congress for trading of votes. Talking to a private channel, he said the votes of the UDF were given to the LDF and booths of the former were found inactive.

Meantime, he expressed concern on the low turnout in the constituency. I was not initially accepted in the beginning. My name was announced as a candidate in Vattiyoorkavu unexpectedly. Some campaigned against me and such acts pained me a lot, he said.

Vattiyyoorkavu by-polls recorded a turnout of 62.66% polling. There was a sharp fall in the voter turnout. There was a 7% decrease in polling than the previous election. The turnout in 2019 Lok Sabha elections stood at 69.34% in Vattiyoorkavu and in 2016 it was 69.83%.