By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Left was leading over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by 416 votes, as counting for the Neyattinkara by-election began here Friday. The Congress was trailing behind in third position.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate F. Lawerence was leading at the end of the first round counting, according to the Election Commission website.
“Athiyanoor local body is being counted first. The council has always been a traditional support base of the CPI-M. It is not surprising,” said State Planning Board member and senior UDF (United Democratic Front) leader C.P. John.
What raised eyebrows was when BJP made a steady start. The party’s candidate was former union minister O. Rajagopal.
The Congress candidate R. Selvaraj, was a former CPI-M legislator. He had resigned from the party to join Congress.