I have only ₹304 in my account, but I got sponsors to fund my campaign: Congress rebel in Taliparamba

Kannur: The Congress decision to back former CPM leader T K Govindan as its candidate in Taliparamba is "unprincipled and dirty," said rebel candidate Koyyam Janardhanan (70), who has now been expelled from the party.

Addressing an emotional press conference in Taliparamba on Friday, Janardhanan said he may not have money, but not a lack of support. "Sponsors have come forward to take care of my election expenses," he said. He said the people have asked him not to back off, and that candidature was a stand against what he called a betrayal of political values.

The contest in Taliparamba took a dramatic turn after the CPM fielded P K Shyamala (65), wife of party state secretary M V Govindan, and former chairperson of Taliparamba municipality (2000-2005) and Anthoor Municipality (2015-2020).

Protesting against nepotism and the party's decision to ignore overwhelming opposition to Shyamala's candidature, T K Govindan (77), the most senior member of CPM's Kannur District Secretariat, walked out of the party and announced his decision to contest. Sensing an opening to wrest the Left constituency, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) swiftly extended support to him.

Janardhanan, however, broke ranks. He is a Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee member and served as a Taliparamba block panchayat member from 2020 to 2025. He has also been a district Congress committee secretary.
Disagreeing with the party’s decision to field a leader who, until yesterday, belonged to the rival camp, he filed his nomination as an independent, triggering his expulsion from Congress.

Breaking down before reporters, the veteran Congress leader said he was abandoned because he lacked money. "It is true that I don't have money. If you look at my nomination papers, you will see I have only ₹304 in my bank account. I didn't even have money for the deposit. I filed my nomination with the money sent by my daughter," he said, choking on his words.

"After 53 years in public life, I have earned nothing. I lived for the people. I have no money in my account. Those who made money are now telling me I don't have any," he said. Yet, he insisted, support has poured in from ordinary people. "Even today, people came forward to pay for my campaign travel. They told me, 'Don't back off. Don't worry about money. Go forward…'," he said, his voice trailing off.

Calling the current leadership's stance "dirty politics," he drew a line between the party and its leaders. "My Congress is pure. But a group of leaders is trying to destroy it. My candidature is a message to them," he said.
Despite limited resources, local leaders say he could cut into votes. Both Janardhanan and T K Govindan belong to the Nambiar community, which has a sizable presence in the constituency, adding another layer of complexity to an already fractured contest.