Congress's win in high-stakes Kerala bypoll warning for Pinarayi Vijayan?
However, the alliance soured dramatically when Anvar launched scathing allegations against the Chief Minister's Office and senior police officers, including CM's political secretary P Sasi and former Assistant Director General of Police MR Ajith Kumar, accusing them of corruption and criminal conduct.advertisementAnvar eventually resigned, joined the Trinamool Congress as its state convenor, and made overtures to both the UDF and Tamil Nadu's DMK before contesting as a rebel candidate.Anvar faced off with Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan when Congress chose to field Shoukath over Anvar's choice VS Joy, the Malappuram district Congress president. His decision to fight the by-election, aimed at challenging both 'Pinarayism' (Pinarayi Vijayan's dominance) and 'Satheesanism' (VD Satheesan's leadership), turned the race into a three-way fight. Anvar finished third with 19,760 votes, proving he still commands significant support.WHAT THE RESULT TELLS USFor the first time since 2006, CPI(M) contested Nilambur under its own symbol, fielding senior party leader M Swaraj. Despite the anticipation surrounding his candidature, the party managed to lead in just one local segment — a sobering result for a government that has been in power for nine years.The result signals an anti-incumbency undercurrent and gives the Congress a strong narrative heading into the 2026 Assembly elections. This victory also comes shortly after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's election from Wayanad — of which Nilambur is an assembly segment — and may reflect a rising momentum for the Congress in North Kerala.Even the issues between Shashi Tharoor and the party leadership in the state that surfaced on polling day, did not affect the Congress's performance.advertisementCPI(M)'s strategy of attacking Congress over alleged ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Welfare Party of India failed to dent UDF's prospects. More troubling for the Left, the party lagged even in its traditional strongholds, fuelling criticism of a top-down, Pinarayi-centric leadership style.With the LDF aiming for a third consecutive term, Nilambur serves as a second warning after its underwhelming performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The CPI(M) now faces growing internal and external pressure to rethink its political messaging and organisational approach.- Ends
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