1.
G.V. People lining up outside the polling booth.


2.
Nearer V. Ditto.


3.
L.V. People arriving from all over to plane their vote.


4.
S.T.V. People in the queue.


5.
S.V. Ditto.


6.
S.T.V. Ditto.


7.
S.V. A communist party banner.


8.
S.L.V. A communist party poster.


9.
L.V. Various posters stuck on the rocks etc.,


10.
S.V. Hill tribesmen awaiting their turn to vote.


11.
S.V. Som of the hill tribesmen sitting patiently.


12.
S.V. People in the queue.


13.
S.T.V. A hill tribesmen holding his ballot paper.


14.
S.V. Voting inside the booth.


15.
S.V. Ditto.


16.
S.L.V. People walking away from the polling station.


17.
C.V.Pan People scattered all over the hills.




Initials S-D M.R./P.B.



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The Communist State Government of Kerala, the only red government in India, attempted to played down the importance of the bye-election and the significance of it should the Communist candidate, Mrs. Rosamma Punnose, be defeated.

Their efforts were not necessary for Mrs. Punnose won by a margin of 6,500 votes ina poll of about a million. There were there other contestants for the seat on the Deviculam hills for the Kerala Assembly. Mr. B. K. Nair, a Congress Party member, to whom the PSP and the Muslim League have extended their support, was is the principal opponent that Mrs. Punnose had to face. Had he won, the opposition in the Kerala Assembly would have held the same number of seats as the Communists, 63. There were two independent candidates but of no importance in the contest.

This election is the first trial that the 13-month old Communist Ministry has had to face since its succession. And in order to play down the importance of this confidence test the party leaders have been heard to say that in the event of a defeat the Ministry would not necessary seek a further mandate from the electorate, but would continue in office.