PV Anvar to contest as independent in Nilambur byelection after EC rejects TMC nomination

Mail This Article
Malappuram: The Election Commission on Tuesday rejected PV Anvar's nomination papers as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate. The reason cited was that TMC is a state party registered in West Bengal, and therefore, Anvar’s nomination as a TMC candidate was deemed invalid.
However, the Election Commission accepted Anvar's nomination as an independent candidate. As a result, he will now contest the elections in Nilambur as an independent candidate.
The Returning Officer said that there was an issue with the nomination submitted under the Trinamool Congress banner. Since TMC is not a national party, the nomination papers should have included the signatures of ten proposers, which were not provided. This procedural lapse led to the rejection of the nomination.
Anvar responded that his fight is against the Pinarayi government, and that the people of Nilambur are with him. He added that the public is waiting to vote, and the symbol under which he contests does not matter.
He also expressed concern that a conspiracy to sabotage the process was possible, which is why he was present during the scrutiny of the nomination papers.
A total of 19 persons have submitted nominations for the by-election.