Palakkad (Kerala), Nov 23 (PTI) The BJP-led NDA candidate C Krishnakumar took an initial lead in the Palakkad Assembly bypoll as the counting of votes commenced on Saturday, according to TV channels.

Krishnakumar got 1,016 votes after the first phase of counting, which included postal ballots.

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However, there was no official confirmation from the Election Commission in this regard.

Among the 10 candidates contesting, the main contenders are Rahul Mamkootathil from the Congress-led UDF, C Krishnakumar from the BJP-led NDA, and P Sarin from the CPI(M)-led LDF.

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The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of Congress leader Shafi Parambil, who vacated the seat after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara in the general election this year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)