Kalpathy fest panel seeks postponement of bypoll in Palakkad

The EC has announced byelections in the Palakkad Assembly constituency on November 13, coinciding with the Kalpathy Rathotsavam, which is taking place from November 6 to 16

The organisers of the Kalpathy Rathotsavam have appealed to the Election Commission (EC) of India to postpone the byelection in the Palakkad Assembly constituency as it is coinciding with the famed Kalpathy festival.

The Kalpathy Rathotsavam or car festival is being held from November 6 to 16, and the movement of chariots will be taking place on November 13, 14, and 15.The Election Commission of India on Tuesday announced that the byelection in Palakkad would take place on November 13 along with the byelections in the Chelakkara Assembly constituency and the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

In a memorandum sent to the Chief Election Commissioner, the administrative heads of the four temples involved in the Kalpathy Rathotsavam said that the conduct of the traditional festival would be a challenge in view of the election, and that the voters would find it difficult to cast their votes.

They also said that the model code of conduct too would pose a challenge to the proper conduct of the festival. “A significant part of the voters in Palakkad are residing in the Kalpathy agraharams and surrounding villages. Thousands of devotees will be visiting Kalpathy during this festival period. The district administration, police, and various public utility departments under the government and local self-government are involved in the successful conduct of the Rathotsavam. In fact, a local holiday will be declared on the last day of the festival,” they said.

The signatories were V.K. Sujithkumar Varma, managing trustee of Sree Visalakshi Sametha Sree Viswanatha Swamy Devaswom; K.S. Krishna, president of Mandakkarai Sree Mahaganapathy Temple, New Kalpathy; C.S. Mahesh Krishnan, managing trustee of Sree Lakshminarayana Perumal Temple, Old Kalpathy; and C.V. Murali Ramanathan, secretary of Sree Prasanna Mahaganapathy Temple, Chathapuram.

Published - October 15, 2024 07:42 pm IST