Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 8 : As counting of votes polled in the Puthuppally by-election reached completion and final figures awaited, Congress candidate Chandy Oommen's victory margin reached 36,454 votes. The final figures are expected after the final tallying by the authorities. By crossing 36,000 he breached the highest victory margin which his father Oommen Chandy got in 2011. Oommen Chandy got a margin of 33,255 in 2011, the highest in his 12 outings since 1970. Reacting to the development, former Defence Minister A.K.Antony said that what he predicted has come true. 'I have known Puthuppally from the days I knew Oommen Chandy and could sense how upset the people were over the manner he was haunted. I had said that the margin of victory will come as a rude jolt to the CPI(M) and that has happened. Such was the love and reverence the people of the constituency had for Chandy,' said Antony. Even before the final announcement, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan congratulated Chandy Oommen and wished him all the best and expected that he would emulate his legendary father. Oommen Chandy's wife Marimba Oommen Chandy, while seated near her husband's grave said it has come as a happy news amid the grief. Of the 1,76 412 electorate, as many as 1,28,535 cast their votes. The election became necessary after the passing away of sitting Congress MLA Oommen Chandy, a two-time former Chief Minister who represented the constituency from 1970 for a record-breaking 53 years. In the fray are Chandy's son Chandy Oommen for the Congress, CPI(M)'s Jaick C.Thomas in his third outing in the constituency, BJP's Lijin Lal and four others. In the 2021 Assembly polls, Chandy defeated Thomas by 9,044 votes. /IANS