Malappuram Bye-election Result 2017: BJP fails to make a mark as IUML wins Malappuram seat by huge margin

While IUML and CPI(M) expressed that secularism is their primary poll promise, BJP tried playing the 'development' card and that did not work this time.

Malappuram, April 17: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost the Malappuram bye-election and came in third in this bypoll for the constituency in Kerala. With just 65675 votes, the BJP’s candidate N. Sreeprakash evidently failed to impress the Malappuram voters. The Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency returned to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which fielded P K Kunhalikutty, sitting legislator and popular face of the party.

Reportedly after the defeat in the 2014 general election in the same constituency where BJP came in third again, the party considered mobilising the votes on the basis of religion. With this in mind, reportedly they thought garnering the support of the Hindu voters in the constituency will be easy. According to 2011 census shows that 70.2% of the population of Malappuram belongs to the Muslim community and 27.6% to Hindus. And it is the voter percentage out of this 27.6% that the BJP targeted this year.

In 2014 general election, the BJP secured only 64,705 votes, while the IUML won and the CPI(M) came in second. The poll figures this year was also more or less similar to it, and the positions held by the parties is a replica of the positions of 2014. Bye-elections became necessary in Kerala’s Malappuram after the death of IUML leader and former Union minister E Ahamed in February this year.

BJP, while preparing for this feat, in a bid to get the maximum support of the Hindu voters of Malappuram reportedly deployed cadres from various organisations affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). They hoped that if the CPI(M) fields a Muslim candidate as well, it might work perfectly for the BJP. They hoped that since both IUML and CPI(M) did field candidates belonging to the Muslim community, that would split the votes. BJP was also confident that all the Hindu votes would come to them. But then with this loss, there seem to be some error in the ‘foolproof’ plan of the saffron party.

Noteworthy that while IUML and CPI(M) expressed that secularism is their primary poll promise, BJP tried playing the ‘development’ card and clearly, that card did not work this time.