P V Anvar announces candidature in Nilambur bypoll, says UDF will lose

Malappuram: Trinamool Congress state convener P V Anvar sprang a rude surprise for the LDF and the UDF and declared his candidature in Nilambur bypoll on Sunday. In a press conference he spoke with the bitterness of a man who felt betrayed. He said he will file his nomination on Monday, and the Trinamool Congress national leadership has allotted him the party symbol. The party is likely to announce his candidature officially soon.

Anvar continued with his volley of statements against the UDF and opposition leader V D Satheesan, who has steadfastly dissed any attempt to bow down to Anvar's pressure tactics. Anvar has been deeply resentful of Satheesan, who, according to him, cold-shouldered his demands to be made a part of the UDF alliance. 

On Saturday, he said that he would not contest the election and ruled out any political affiliation with the United Democratic Front (UDF). He stated that contesting elections requires crores of rupees, and that he doesn’t have that kind of money. However, later in the day, Anvar hinted at the possibility of his candidature, saying, “What can I do if so many common workers come to visit me with amounts of ₹500 and ₹1,000, asking me to contest."

While both the fronts play down potential vote leakage due to Anvar, the leaders are wary that he had polled above 45 per cent of the votes in the assembly elections in 2016 and 2021. Anvar also exerts considerable influence among the settlers and farming community, who have not been enthused with the state government's efforts to find remedies for man-animal conflict. While CPM shunned independent candidates and mounted a defence by fielding a state secretariat member, M Swaraj, the party may have to sweat it out to neutralise Anvar's sway over a section of voters in Nilambur.

Anvar said his fight is against "Pinarayism" in the state, taking a jibe at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. "Pinarayi and his government continue to make life miserable for people living in the high-range areas and settler farmers. Even the opposition is failing to raise these issues and remains silent,” he said.

Anvar said that by resigning from his post as an MLA, he created an opportunity for the UDF to rebuild trust among people in high-range regions. "When I resigned, I could have announced that I would contest again, but I didn’t. I cleared the way for the UDF to address the issues people face in the hilly hamlets and regain their confidence. If a settler farmer had been chosen as the candidate, it would have worked in the UDF's favour. That's why I suggested the DCC president as the candidate," Anvar said.

Anvar added that if DCC President VS Joy had contested in Nilambur, he would have won with a margin of 30,000 votes. "Two Congress leaders from Nilambur and another leader from the alliance told me this. While at the DCC office, I asked them what Joy’s lead would be if he were the candidate; they said around 30,000 votes. I then asked about Shoukath, and they said his lead would only be around 2,000 to 3,000 votes," he said.

The former Nilambur MLA said that Shoukath is not the ideal candidate to contest in the constituency. "Shoukath will not win the election here, and I conveyed the same to the UDF leadership. That's where my issues with the UDF leadership started," he said. 

Earlier, Anvar had discussions with the UDF regarding including the TMC in the alliance. Although Congress leaders offered associate membership to his party, he opposed the proposal and demanded full membership.

Anvar alleged that some UDF leaders were opposed to him and claimed that Opposition Leader VD Satheesan also played a role in denying him a place within the UDF. "During discussions with the UDF, I asked which seat they would offer me. They tried to confine me to Beypore or Perambra. I had also accepted their proposal for the TMC to become an associate member of the UDF. But after that, there was no further communication from them," he said.