1. This petition relates to the election to the Kazhakkuttam Assembly Constituency at which the first respondent who was the returned candidate and three others including the petitioner were the contesting candidates.

2. In the last mid-term election for the Kerala State Assembly the petitioner contested as a candidate of the Muslim League and the first respondent of the S. S. P. supported by the C. P. I. (Marxist). The second respondent was a candidate of the Congress under the Presidentship of Sri..Nijalingappa. The third respondent contested as an Independent.

3. The polling took place on September 17th last year and the counting on the succeeding day. It was at the Basic Training School at Attingal that the counting took place.

4. The total number of votes polled was 52,576. Of these 701 were declared invalid. The first respondent received 23,425 votes as against the petitioner the next candidate who got 23,314 votes. There was thus a majority of 111 votes in favour of the returned candidate. The second and third respondents received only 4,082 and 1,054 votes respectively. The result of the poll was declared on the 18th itself. The candidate who secured the second lar