Along with the Kerala Assembly election results, the winner of the Malappuram Lok Sabha bye-polls was also announced on May 2, Sunday. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader Abdussamad Samadani won the bypoll to the Malappuram Lok Sabha seat on Sunday, by defeating V P Sanu of the CPI(M). The IUML leader won with a margin of 1.15 lakh votes.
The by-election to Malappuram Lok Sabha seat, a stronghold of the Indian Union Muslim League, was necessitated following the resignation of party general secretary P K Kunhalikutty from the Lok Sabha to contest in the Assembly polls. He won the Assembly elections from the Vengara constituency in Malappuram.
The IUML is a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala. On April 6, 2021, the day of polling, over 74.53 percent of voters participated in the Malappuram Lok Sabha elections. Polling even continued until past 7 pm in some of the booths.
Kunhalikutty had won the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in a record margin of more than 2.6 lakh votes. He had defeated Sanu in the 2019 polls.
On May 2, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front swept Kerala's Assembly seat, making history by coming back to power in a second consecutive term. The LDF won 99 out of the 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly. The United Democratic Front or UDF led by the Congress managed to retain 41 seats. They are the main opposition in the state. Addressing the state following the LDF's victory, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that though there was a reason to celebrate, all celebrations must be done at home as there was a pressing need to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic was under control.
Kerala reported 31,959 new cases on May 2 and also reported 49 deaths. The state is projected to hit its peak COVID-19 cases between May 13-15. The state is ramping up hospital infrastructure in order to be able to take in more patients. There has been a shortage of ICU and ventilators reported from many districts.