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India Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
How victorious Congress, Pinarayi's party are reading Nilambur bypoll verdict
The Nilambur bypoll victory has set the Opposition Congress in Kerala in a jubilant mood. This is the first time the party has snatched a ruling-front seat in the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) nine-year term since the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF), which it leads, the victory in Muslim-dominated Nilambur is a promising development in the run-up to assembly elections next year. The win has shown the party is capable of putting factionalism behind, uniting its cadre and building a cohesive the CPI(M), whose candidate M. Swaraj lost by over 11,000 votes, had banked on a vote-split from a widening gap between the Muslim religious body Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama and UDF constituent Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the Congress stepped up its campaign on the ground and cornered the Pinarayi Vijayan government on sensitive issues. For instance, the escalating human-animal conflict in Nilambur, located in the Western in the past, the Congress could put up a united face and the IUML actively joined the poll campaign despite its leadership having reservations about the winning candidate Aryaden Shoukath. 'The Congress has reasserted its position for the first time in its nine-year-long history of being in the Opposition. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan took a bold step by denying P.V. Anvar the Nilambur seat despite the IUML leadership favouring his candidature,' said political analyst S. resigned as Nilambur MLA in January after facing the heat for alleging that additional DGP M.R. Ajithkumar was involved in gold smuggling. Ajithkumar is widely considered as enjoying the trust of the Vijayan government.'Had the Congress yielded and made Anvar its candidate, the victory would have gone into the latter's account. But with a clean win with its own candidate, the Congress can now face the local body polls in December on a confident note,' said as the Vijayan-led LDF is eyeing a third consecutive term in Kerala next year, the Congress can turn things around with a 6 percentage point higher vote-share than in 2021 (38.8 per cent).For the CPI(M), the Nilambur result is an alarm bell against any complacency. 'We are identifying factors that caused our defeat and will take redress measures. The LDF won the assembly polls in 2016 and 2021 on merit. Our government in Kerala has ensured good governance. Setbacks like these (Nilambur) give us more insight as we march forward,' A. Vijayaraghavan, CPI(M) politburo member and a leader involved in the Nilambur campaign, told INDIA the moment, the CPI(M) leadership is sending out signals of weathering the Nilambur storm as it discusses ways to counter the Opposition and scale up welfare delivery in the months leading to the assembly elections. But in the Congress's scheme of things, if not an outright storm, the political wind already looks poised to change Vijayan's move to appoint Ajithkumar as the next DGP of Kerala fizzled out after his name was excluded by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in a meeting held on June 26. The UPSC shortlisted three senior IPS officers for the DGP's post—Nitin Agarwal, road safety commissioner of Kerala; Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, special director at the Intelligence Bureau; and Yogesh Gupta, director general of Kerala Fire and Rescue to India Today Magazine- Ends
The Hindu
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Nilambur results to be a barometer for 2026 Assembly poll
The Nilambur Assembly byelection outcome is being keenly awaited by both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF). Although the winning candidate will have a short tenure of less than a year in the Assembly, the victory will carry significant weight for both fronts and boost their morale and credibility. The Nilambur byelection is seen as a key barometer for the Assembly elections to be held in 2026. While the LDF campaigned on its four-year achievements, the UDF countered by highlighting the LDF government's perceived failures over the past nine years. The June 19 electoral battle in Nilambur was one of the most intense Kerala has witnessed in recent times, with the entire State's attention riveted on the contest. Both the UDF and LDF threw their entire political weight behind the campaign, making it a closely watched showdown. While both LDF candidate M. Swaraj and UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath, as well as their leaders and campaign managers, are claiming victory, uncertainty lingers over the margin of win. The presence of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) State convener P.V. Anvar and the BJP's Christian candidate Mohan George in the fray have injected doubts into both camps, making it difficult for them to gauge their winning margin with confidence. In a remarkable display of civic harmony, the Nilambur byelection on Thursday passed off peacefully and incident-free, despite intense campaigning by both the UDF and LDF. Noted Islamic scholar Marutha Abdul Latheef Moulavi of the Samsthana Jamiyyathul Ulama praised Nilambur as a model for the nation, showcasing how elections can be conducted with both cordiality and competitiveness. Meanwhile, District Collector V.R. Vinod, who is the District Election Officer, has asked the political parties to remove their flags, posters and banners erected in connection with the byelection before 4 p.m. on Sunday. Counting on June 23 He has sent letters to all candidates demanding that they remove their campaign materials. The Collector's move has come in the wake of a request by the District Police Chief in connection with maintaining law and order in the constituency. The counting of votes will take place at Mar Thoma Higher Secondary School, Chungathara, on Monday morning. The voting machines from 263 booths of Nilambur constituency were shifted to a strongroom at Mar Thoma Higher Secondary School soon after the polling on Thursday night.
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
All arrangements in place as Nilambur goes to poll on June 19
MALAPPURAM About 2 lakh voters are expected to reach polling booths on Thursday to choose their representative in the Nilambur Assembly byelection. As many as 263 polling stations have been set for a total voter population of 2.32 lakh. Poll equipment was distributed from Mar Thoma Higher Secondary School, Chungathara, on Wednesday. After a mock poll at 5.30 a.m., polling will start at 7 a.m. and continue till 6 p.m. Voters reaching the polling stations before 6 p.m. will be allowed to vote. A total of 315 voting machines and 341 VVPATs, including reserves, will be used for polling. As many 1,301 trained polling officials will be on duty. Among them will be 316 presiding officers, 975 polling staff and 10 micro-observers. Tight security arrangements have been made at 14 critical booths, including three booths located in the forest. The booths in the forest are at Punchakkolli, Vaniyampuzha and Nedumkayam. Election Commission has arranged webcasting of the polling in all stations. Although Nilambur has 3,672 voters eligible for home voting, only 1,254 of them exercised this concession. They voted from their homes between June 9 and 16. Among them were 938 voters above age 85 and 316 differently abled persons. Ten candidates are in the fray, including the frontrunners Aryadan Shoukath of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and M. Swaraj of the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The other contestants are BJP's Mohan George, SDPI's Sadik Naduthodi, Independents like P.V. Anvar, N. Jayarajan, P. Radhakrishnan Namboothiripad, Vijayan, Satheesh Kumar G., and Harinarayanan. With 7,787 new voters getting eligibility, Nilambur has 1.136 lakh men voters and 1.187 women voters. There are eight transgender voters as well. As many as 1,200 security personnel, including State and Central forces, have been deployed. Nilambur DySP will be in charge of Nilambur and Pookkottumpadam police stations and another DySP will be in charge of Edakkara, Vazhikkadavu and Pothukal police stations. There will be 17 patrolling groups to monitor the 263 polling booths, with each group headed by a sub-inspector. There will be two law and order patrolling teams for each police station headed by a sub-inspector. Besides, there will be separate quick response teams (QRTs) comprising a sub-inspector and four police officers. Central security forces are posted in areas where Maoist presence had been reported. One company of Armed Police Battalion is on election duty in Nilambur. One platoon Central Armed Police Force will provide security to the strongroom at Mar Thoma Higher Secondary School, Chungathara. A district election control room has been set up at the Collectorate. It can be reached at 0483 2734990. A call centre set up at Government Rest House, Nilambur, can be reached at 048931 220039.
The Hindu
01-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Nilambur byelection evolves into a high-profile four-cornered electoral battle
The byelection to elect a legislator to represent the Nilambur Assembly constituency in the Malappuram district, with barely seven months remaining in the incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's term, evolved into a high-profile four-cornered electoral battle on Sunday (June 1, 2025). Political theatre, last-minute switching of sides, and the entry of unexpected candidates marked the hectic day, with the Election Commission's last date for filing nominations expiring on Monday (June 2). The LDF and the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) had put their cards on the table last week by fielding Communist Party of India (Marxist) State committee member M. Swaraj and Congress leader Aryadan Shoukath as their candidates, respectively. The two-term LDF-backed Independent MLA from Nilambur and the present All India Trinamool Congress State convenor, P.V. Anvar, whose acrimonious parting of ways with the ruling front precipitated the byelection, declared his candidature in the bypoll. Mr. Anvar had attempted to tag the Trinamool with the Congress-led UDF since joining West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party in January. Aspiring for a berth in the Opposition alliance, Mr. Anvar initially ruled out contesting the bypoll. He became a fixture at UDF rallies, playing the role of an LDF insider-turned whistleblower against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. However, M. Anvar's relationship with the UDF soured at the last minute after he aired scepticism about Mr. Shaukath's winnability. Earlier, he had discomfited the UDF leadership by attempting to influence candidate selection by prematurely backing V. Joy, a local Congress leader from the Christian settler farmer community, a significant electoral bloc in the Nilambur Assembly constituency. Mr. Anvar singled out the Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, for not billeting him in the UDF. The UDF denied speculation that Mr. Anvar's candidature had injected a measure of variability into the electoral calculus of the Opposition. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which initially viewed the bypoll as insignificant, belatedly changed tack and fielded Mohan George, a Kerala Congress leader aligned with the UDF, as its candidate in Nilambur. The BJP recognised it could ill-afford to remain on the sidelines in an arguably pivotal byelection, widely regarded as an approximate bellwether of Kerala's voting behaviour ahead of the 2026 Assembly election. The LDF weaponised Mr. George's 'shift in allegiance' to push its electoral talking point in the predominantly Muslim Nilambur constituency, stating that the UDF leaders' secular credentials were suspect and that they were increasingly vulnerable to poaching by the BJP.
The Hindu
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
M. Swaraj's anti-war post stirs up debate
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader M. Swaraj's social media post against war-mongering following the retaliatory strikes by the Indian armed forces stirred up a debate with a handful of left-leaning profiles directing thinly-veiled criticism at him. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, in which he referred to some anti-war passages from M. Mukundan's book Delhi Gadhakal, Mr. Swaraj said that the airwaves are filled with the war mongering of people who do not stand to be personally affected by the ravages of war. 'Our country is on the verge of a war today. It is now being reported that the Indian Army has destroyed terrorist camps in Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan is a country that is criticised for cross-border terrorism. It should be able to learn from the backlash against the Pahalgam terror attack. The Pakistan army has started shelling on the border, raising fears of a war. War mongers are shouting on news channels and social media. For some, war is a celebration that happens on the border as long as a missile does not destroy their own house. Let time correct those who enjoy war until their own children are killed,' wrote Mr. Swaraj, State secretariat member of the CPI(M). He further wrote that the first to suffer in any war are the ordinary people and called for humane movements against terrorism and war. In a followup Facebook post on Thursday, Mr. Swaraj addressed the criticisms and said that he would stand firmly on his opinions without changing a word. He directed his arguments pointedly at the few left-leaning persons who critiqued his post. 'These handful of leftists argue about the Soviet Union's fight against the Nazis seem to have forgotten the Soviet efforts to avoid war or the non-aggression pact. When they were finally attacked, and it was clear that there was no other way but war, the Soviet Union entered the war. Immediately after defeating Hitler, Stalin and the Soviet Union took the initiative not to conquer other countries with a warlike spirit, but to build a world peace movement. That is how the World Peace Council (WPC) came into being. A peace movement called AIPSO, which is also part of the World Peace Council, is still active in India,' he said. Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil accused Mr. Swaraj of double standards in not seeing the violence unleashed by his own partymen against Congress workers in Kannur even at a time when the nation was facing a tense situation at the border. 'While you appear to be concerned about the houses destroyed in India's missile strikes in Pakistan, your partymen attacked the house of Youth Congress mandalam secretary Saneesh P.R. today. M. Swaraj, who never once condemned Pakistan's terrorist acts against India and only becomes a messenger of peace when India's inevitable retaliation occured, should occasionally convey this message of peace to the terrorists in his own party,' wrote Mr. Mamkootathil in a Facebook post.
