Thiruvananthapuram, June 4 : The initial counting of postal votes in Kerala's electoral battleground has revealed a lead for sitting Congress MP from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi, and veteran leader Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram.
Gandhi, who secured a resounding victory in the 2019 polls with a margin exceeding 4.37 lakh votes, appears to have started his electoral campaign on a strong note once again.
Meanwhile, Tharoor, vying for his fourth consecutive win, faces stiff competition from Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar of the BJP and former MP Paniyan Ravindran of the CPI.
Kerala, with its 20 parliamentary constituencies, holds significant political importance. In the 2019 elections, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured victory in 19 seats, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left managed to clinch one.
The early lead for Gandhi and Tharoor in the postal ballot count sets the stage for an intriguing electoral battle in the state.