Aryadan Shoukath sworn in as Nilambur MLA

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United Democratic Front’s (UDF) Aryadan Shoukath took oath as the new MLA of Nilambur at 3.30 pm on Friday at the R Sankaranarayanan Thampi Hall in the Kerala Legislative Assembly complex. Speaking to Manorama News, Shoukath credited UDF’s collective efforts for his victory.
“The victory was the result of the collective efforts of all UDF leaders. Their presence inspired the grassroots activists as well. I don’t think Congress leaders will attempt to downplay the win,” he said. Outlining his priorities, Shoukath said addressing human-animal conflict in Nilambur would be given top importance.
Commenting on the controversy involving P V Anvar, Shoukath said the matter lies with the UDF leadership. “Even after the announcement of my candidature, Anvar continued to make remarks against me. The people have already given their response. I see no need to reply further. If the UDF leadership seeks my opinion on the matter, I will express it then,” he stated.
He attributed the electoral win to several factors, including public dissatisfaction over what he called the long-standing neglect of Nilambur under the Left government. “The verdict is also a statement against the nine years of neglect. During the ward delimitation, three panchayats favourable to the UDF were removed from Nilambur. Despite this, in the 2011 election, Aryadan Mohammed secured a margin of over 5,000 votes. This time, we achieved a victory margin of more than 10,000 votes in the same constituency,” he pointed out.
“Although the ruling front deployed its full machinery against us, we succeeded in securing a decisive win. If the government cooperates in the coming days, we will be able to address the key issues faced by the people of Nilambur,” Shoukath added.