THRISSUR: LDF secures Chelakkara as counting of votes is progressing where bypolls were held. Giving a hint of victory, LDF candidate U R Pradeep posted on Facebook, ‘We will win Chelakkara’. He then responded to the media and clarified that he has been saying from the beginning that there is no anti-government sentiments here. Chelakkara has a history of supporting left wing candidates. The same thing happened again. The people of Chelakkara have faith in us. Pradeep responded that the lead is better than we expected. He informed that he will meet the media again after the results are out.

According to the latest information, Pradeep is leading by 8567 votes. Pradeep got 32528 votes so far. UDF candidate and Alathur MP Ramya Haridas has 23511 votes and NDA candidate K Balakrishnan has garnered 13590 votes.

U R Pradeep is presently the chairman of State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. He had served as former president of Deshamangalam Panchayat, CPM Chelakkara Area Committee Member, PKS district committee member and KSKTU area committee member.

Former MLA and K Radhakrishnan MP said Chelakara is proving that there is no anti-government sentiments. He also shared the post 'Red Fort is this Chelakkara'. Pradeep came here as an LDF candidate to fill the vacancy left by K Radhakrishnan.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan had announced that Chelakkara would be wrested, but the results are not in favour of them. A high octane campaign was seen from the part of the UDF in Chelakkara. Most of the prominent leaders came to campaign but none of that turned votes for Ramya Haridas.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan camped in Chelakkara for three days. The chief minister's speech was against communalism. The chief minister made a passionate speech in Chelakkara for about one and a half hours, about the old election history and what the present government has done and will do, criticized the Congress, Muslim League and BJP parties, hinted that the Center did not provide assistance in the Wayanad landslides and requested the people to send the candidate U R Pradeep to the Legislative Assembly.

CPM state secretary M V Govindan, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan, Ministers K Rajan, K Krishnankutty, Ramachandran Kadannappally, K B Ganesh Kumar, NCP state president P C Chacko and many others had reached Chelakkara to campaign for Pradeep.