The June 19 bypoll in the Nilambur Assembly constituency in Kerala is shaping up to be a fierce four-cornered contest with the addition of PV Anvar and Mohan George as the Trinamool Congress (AITC) and BJP candidates, respectively, in the fray.
Anvar, whose resignation in January as a Left-backed Independent lawmaker had forced the bypoll, said on Sunday that he would file his nomination papers on June 2 as an AITC candidate after his persistent efforts to be inducted into the Congress-led UDF proved to be unsuccessful.
He said he was forced to take the decision as the UDF ‘closed its doors’ on him. At a press conference at his home, the former MLA lashed out at Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, terming him ‘autocratic’ and accusing him of blocking the path for him to be brought into the UDF.
“This bye-election is an opportunity for the common people of Nilambur to register their protest and grievances against the current LDF dispensation and the chief minister. Particularly, there are hardships being faced by the migrant settlers in hilly areas. We are fighting to win. We will get the anti-incumbency votes against the CM,” Anvar said.
Anvar added that the UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath would not succeed in the bypoll as he does not have the strength to counter the politics of Pinarayi Vijayan.
The businessman-politician, who won from Nilambur in 2016 and 2021 as an LDF-backed Independent, broke ranks with the LDF last year after levelling a series of allegations against top cop MR Ajith Kumar and senior CPI(M) leader P Sasi. Once seen as a close confidante of CM Vijayan, Anvar gradually made his opposition to the chief minister the bulwark of his politics. After resigning as MLA, Anvar signalled his support to the UDF and had even said that he would not contest the bypoll. Though he tried relentlessly through talks with various UDF leaders to enter the alliance, it is widely assessed that his personal rivalry with Shoukath, a man he had defeated in 2016, proved to be the sore point in the discussions.
Satheesan told reporters on Sunday, “We closed the door for talks with Anvar because he keeps repeating the same allegations against our candidate Aryadan Shoukath.”
Meanwhile, on the eve of the last day for filing nominations, the BJP fielded Mohan George, a lawyer who accepted the party’s membership on Sunday and was long associated with the PJ Joseph-led Kerala Congress and Kerala Congress (B).
George, a native of Nilambur, is a council member of the Mar Thoma Sabha, a prominent Church in the state, and the vice-president of the Mar Thoma Church in Chungathara.
George told reporters after his nomination, “There will be a strong fight here, no doubt. The BJP has a good influence in Nilambur and we seek the votes of every community. I decided to leave the Kerala Congress party because it is not strong here in Malappuram district.”
The BJP, through George’s candidacy, is seen as building a bridge with the Christian community in the constituency who are a strong vote-bank and hold influence particularly in the high-range areas.
While the bye-election in Nilambur is scheduled on June 19, the votes will be counted on June 23.
Swaraj a candidate with ‘clean image’: Kerala CM
CM Pinarayi Vijayan, addressing his first LDF election convention in Nilambur on Sunday, exhorted voters and LDF cadres to back M Swaraj stating that he is a candidate with a clean image.
“He (Swaraj) is known to everyone. You have received the news of his candidacy with a lot of warmth…he is a candidate with a clean image. He can always ask for votes from anyone with his head held high. Such large public attendance at this convention attests to it,” said the CM.
At the same time, the CM also trained his guns on Anvar, saying that his ‘betrayal’ to the Left forced the bypoll.
In his convention speech, the CM listed the achievements of his administration and claimed that the state has become a model for good governance.