Thrissur: In the Chelakkara by-election, LDF candidate U R Pradeep emerged victorious with a majority of 12,122 votes. Pradeep secured 64,259 votes, while his Congress rival, Ramya Haridas, who claimed the political battle in Chellakkara, received 52,137 votes. The election was a significant assessment of both the opposition and the government. The CPI(M) contested the election because they did not seek votes from communalists. The people of Chellakkara have embraced U R Pradeep and the LDF with open arms, witnessing a clear victory.
U R Pradeep, one of the prominent faces of CPI(M) in Thrissur, has been a well-known public figure in Chellakkara. He served as an MLA from 2016 to 2021, leading numerous development projects. He has a strong background in local governance and cooperative sector experience. From 2000 to 2005, he was the president of the Desamangalam Panchayat, where he demonstrated leadership and earned the distinction of being the best Panchayat in the state. He also helped secure continued governance for the Left Front in the Panchayat. From 2005 to 2010, he served as the vice-president of the Panchayat, and from 2009 to 2011, he was the president of the Desamangalam Service Cooperative Bank. He became a member of the Desamangalam Panchayat again in 2015. In 2016, he was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Chellakkara. Since 2022, he has served as the Chairman of the State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
