Nilambur, June 23 -- Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath, representing the United Democratic Front (UDF), continued to lead in the Nilambur Assembly by-election in Kerala's Malappuram district, holding a margin of 10,482 votes after 16 rounds of counting, according to official Election Commission trends.

UDF workers started celebrating outside the counting centreas Shoukath's lead remained consistent, signalling a possible win for the Congress candidate.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded M Swaraj, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded Aryadan Shoukath, while the BJP has fielded Adv. Mohan George is a candidate for the Nilambur Assembly constituency.

"In Nilambur, the UDF is gaining a comfortable majority, that is the ...