Malappuram: P V Anvar has openly criticised the selection of Aryadan Shoukath as the UDF candidate for the Nilambur byelection, alleging that Shoukath had previously attempted to contest as an independent candidate backed by the CPM. According to him, local and area committees of the CPM had decided not to approve Shoukath’s candidacy, leading to the idea being dropped.

Anvar claimed that the people of Nilambur were not interested in such a candidate and that Congress leader V S Joy was sidelined due to the absence of a political “godfather” to support him. He also said that the political stand of the Trinamool Congress would be announced within two days, after evaluating the capability of the UDF candidate.

He said V S Joy was proposed as a candidate because he understands the issues faced by the people of Nilambur and the regions adjacent to forest areas. Anvar argued that there hasn’t been a representative from the Christian community in this constituency in recent years and that the UDF had missed an opportunity to capitalise on the favourable conditions in the region, particularly among Christian voters.

He believed this could have been addressed through Joy’s candidacy and had hoped that the UDF would take this seriously. However, he lamented the lack of strong leadership within the Congress to back Joy. Without a political godfather, Joy was overlooked — and by sidelining him, Anvar claimed, the UDF was effectively sidelining farmers in the region. These farmers, he noted, are among the most distressed in Kerala and should not have been ignored.