Innocent defeated his nearest rival P.C. Chacko by 13,884 votes
Victory rally of Innocent in Chalakkudi. (Photo: DC)
Kochi: Sixty-five year old Innocent Vareed Thekkethala, popularly known as only Innocent, has made history in Kerala, by becoming the first actor to be get elected to Lok Sabha from state. The actor, a cancer survivor who contested as an Independent with support of the LDF, defeated his nearest rival P.C. Chacko of the Congress, a veteran in electoral battles, by 13,884 votes in Chalakkudy constituency.
The victory of Innocent, a school drop-out, has shocked UDF, which was so sure of Chacko’s win. The latter, a sitting MP in neighbouring Thrissur, had moved moved to Chalakkudy, considering it as a safe bastion of Congress.
In 2009, UDF won from here with a thumping margin of 71,679. Congress sources conceded that Chacko swapping the seat with K.P. Dhanapalan proved costly for the party. Interestingly, Innocent led in six out of seven Assembly segments falling within the constituency. Only Angamaly segment stood with Chacko giving him a margin of 6,000 votes.
Poll analysts pointed out that Innocent’s victory was so comprehensive that he led even in the strongholds of the Jacobite community like Kunnathunad and Perumbavoor assembly segments irrespective of the fact that his rival belonged to that church. Chacko, perhaps, rightly summed up what happened to his poll prospects by saying that it was a victory for the ‘colourful’ personality of Innocent.
But Innocent, in his reaction, was too magnanimous, giving the credit of his victory to the CPM-led LDF. Calling CPM as his own party, the actor said the victory belonged to all those who supported him. He conceded that he was novice as a people’s representative, but he would make up for this by working for the development of the constituency with the advice of those who were more knowledgable.
( Source : dc correpondent )
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