Former MLA and CPM state secretariat member M Swaraj will contest as the LDF candidate in the Nilambur bypoll, which will be held on June 19. CPM state secretary MV Govindan declared the candidate after Friday's CPM state secretariat meeting in Thiruvananthapuram. UDF has fielded Aryadan Shoukath as the candidate in the constituency.

This will be the third time in the past four decades that a candidate will contest under the CPM party symbol in Nilambur. Between 1982 and 2021 assembly elections, CPM fielded party candidates twice: Devadas Pottakkad in 1987 and P Sreeramakrishnan in 2006. Both of them lost to Aryadan Mohammad. In the previous assembly elections held in 2016 and 2021, LDF bagged the seat, fielding P V Anvar as an independent candidate.

Govindan dismissed the Anvar factor, saying that he would not create any impact and that the contest would be between the Congress and the CPM. He also likened Anvar to Judas, who betrayed Jesus, saying Anvar had similarly betrayed the LDF and CPM. 

 Anvar resigned from his position as MLA following disagreements with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Drawing a sharp comparison, Govindan 

Speaking to reporters after announcing his candidature, Swaraj said the election results will reflect public approval of the LDF government's development initiatives in the state. He added that the outcome will also mark the beginning of another term for the LDF in Kerala.

When asked about the possibility of Anvar announcing his candidature, Swaraj said he was unaware of Anvar’s plans. He added that Anvar’s presence would not be a determining factor in the Nilambur polls. “People will focus on the development activities across the state, not on PV Anvar,” he said. Swaraj also mentioned that he will arrive in Nilambur on Saturday to begin his election campaign.

Swaraj, a native of Nilambur, lost to Congress candidate K Babu by 1,232 votes in the 2021 assembly elections in Thripunithura constituency.

Swaraj started his political career in 1988 as a member of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). Over the years, he rose through the ranks, serving as the State Secretary and All India Joint Secretary of the SFI. He later became the State Secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPM.

An advocate by profession, Swaraj was born on May 27, 1979, to P N Muraleedharan Nair and P R Sumangi Amma.