Mercurial Anvar turns Beypore into a tough battlefield, but Riyas holds early lead

Beypore Assembly constituency, a CPM bastion since 1982, is witnessing one of its tightest contests in decades. Early counting indicates a trend favourable to the left, suggesting a continuance of its hold over the region. However, surveys and exit polls suggest that this lead may be tight, marking a break from the comfortable victories the party has enjoyed here for four decades.

The BJP’s growing presence has added another layer of uncertainty. But whether that rise is enough to seriously dent the CPM’s entrenched support remains the central question.

Key candidates in the fray
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded sitting MLA and Public Works and Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, who faces an unusually sharp challenge from former LDF ally P V Anvar, the mercurial two-time Nilambur MLA.

After his fallout with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Anvar resigned as Nilambur MLA in 2024 and went through a series of political experiments. He first tried to align with the M K Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), but after being turned away, launched his own DMK: Democratic Movement of Kerala. Ahead of the Nilambur by-election, he briefly found political shelter in Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress. In 2026, he entered the Beypore fray, accusing Vijayan of promoting Riyas, his son-in-law, through dynastic politics. Soon after the election, Anvar quit the Trinamool as well, saying he would launch a new party inspired by Rahul Gandhi. To be sure, before all this, he had begun his political journey in the Congress.

The BJP, which has steadily expanded its footprint in Beypore, has fielded its state secretary and former Yuva Morcha state president Adv K P Prakash Babu. The party’s rise has raised fresh questions about whether it could alter the traditional arithmetic between the LDF and the UDF.

Past results and voting trends
Historically, Beypore has strongly favoured the Left, with Riyas’ 2021 victory paving the way for his induction into Vijayan’s cabinet.

Since 2011, the CPM’s vote share has steadily risen, while the UDF’s support has gradually eroded, a trend that continues to favour the LDF on paper. Exit polls, however, suggested that while Riyas retained an edge, the contest was closer than usual.

The BJP’s growth complicates that equation. Its vote count rose from 11,040 in 2011 to 27,958 in 2016, before dipping slightly to 26,267 in 2021. Despite the marginal decline, the party has built a stronger base in the constituency.

What makes Beypore interesting is that the BJP’s rise has not significantly hurt the Left. In 2016, even as the BJP surged, the LDF continued to grow, with the UDF appearing to bear most of the damage. In 2021, however, the LDF’s growth seemed to come at the expense of both the UDF and the BJP, suggesting that shifts in the BJP vote do not automatically hurt the CPM.

That makes this election unusually unpredictable: a sitting CPM minister versus a former ally who knows the party from within, with the BJP acting as a potentially disruptive third force.

Riyas, who rose through student politics, said he would win comfortably. In 2021, he polled 82,165 votes with a vote share of 49.73%. Anvar scoffed at that claim, insisting the minister would not cross 65,000. According to the 2026 turnout of 1,82,430 voters, that would translate only to 35%.

Anvar’s campaign has centred on anti-incumbency and internal resentment within the CPM. He has repeatedly alleged growing discomfort within party ranks over “family dominance,” claiming even CPM workers stayed away from Riyas’ campaign programmes.

Framing the election as a direct battle between the people and the Chief Minister, Anvar argued that the CPM in Kerala was heading down the same path as the party’s decline in West Bengal and Tripura. He also claimed BJP votes would dip in Beypore and alleged that any tacit understanding between the BJP and CPM had collapsed.

Adding his trademark theatrics, Anvar announced that if he lost, he would shave his head and walk through SM Street -- from Kidson Corner near Mananchira to the railway station. He then raised the stakes further, saying he would wear earrings during the walk. He even challenged Riyas to do the same, with one concession: “Forget the earrings. At least shave.” Riyas, however, declined to take the bait, choosing instead to let the voters do the talking.