Congress candidate Rahul Mamkootathil won the Palakkad Assembly by-election by a margin of 18,840 votes, retaining the seat for the UDF. Mamkootathil secured 58,389 votes, defeating BJP’s C Krishnakumar and LDF’s P Sarin. The by-election, necessitated by Shafi Parambil’s resignation, saw controversies including Sarin’s switch to LDF and allegations of voter list irregularities.