Jaick had contested and lost against former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy in the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections, though he significantly reduced the vote margin between them in 2021.
Congress sees bypoll as “referendum” on Pinarayi govt, set to get sympathy vote given the huge popularity of Chandy, who had represented Puthuppally continuously since 1970.
The veteran Congress leader, who is also a legislator with 53 years of experience and a two-time chief minister of Kerala, proved once again that people are his wealth.