"Punishment for those who wronged Oommen Chandy": AK Antony on Cong win in Puthupally bypoll

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], September 8 (ANI): After Chandy Oommen won the Assembly bypoll from the seat represented by his father, the late Oommen Chandy, senior Congress leader AK Antony on Friday said the party's bypoll win in Puthupally should serve as "punishment" for those who levelled 'baseless' allegations against the longtime former chief minister.
Speaking to ANI on Friday, the veteran Congress leader said, "The result is on expected lines. The people of Puthupally were waiting to punish those who wronged Oommen Chandy by levelling false charges against him. There was also a strong anti-government wave, which worked in our favour," Antony told ANI. 
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) retained the Puthupally seat, with Chandy Oommen cruising home with 37,719 votes. 
The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of Oommen Chandy, who represented Puthupally in the Kottayam district in the Kerala Assembly for more than 50 years. 
Claiming that the bypoll win will put more wind in the Congress' sails ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year, party leader Ramesh Chennithala claimed that the grand old party will sweep the state in 2024. 
"This is the semi-final. The Congress-led UDF will sweep Kerala in the Lok Sabha elections next year," Chennithala said. 
"The spectacular victory in Puthupally bypoll has sent out a clear message to the Modi government as well as the Pinarayi (Vijayan) government. Both the BJP and the CPI(M) have been roundly rejected by the people of Puthupally. The message is very clear. However, this is only the semifinal. The UDF will sweep Kerala in the Lok Sabha elections next year. The poll outcome is a warning for the Centre as well as the state government. The people have voted against their corruption and misrule. The landslide victory has come as affirmation that the people are with us," Chennithala said.
Apart from Puthupally, bypolls were held for Uttarakhand's Bageshwar, Tripura's Boxanagar and Dhanpur, Uttar Pradesh's Ghosi, West Bengal's Dhupguri, and Jharkhand's Dumri Assembly segments. 
While the BJP registered handsome wins in the Tripura and Uttarakhand bye-elections, Baby Devi of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's (JMM) won the Dumri bypoll.
Samajwadi Party's Sudhakar Singh also won the bypoll in Uttar Pradesh, dealing a blow to the Yogi government and the BJP.
Elsewhere, Trinamool Congress's Nirmal Chandra Roy won the bypoll in West Bengal's Dhupguri bypoll. (ANI)