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India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Congress won Nilambur bypoll with Jamaat-e-Islami's support: Kerala BJP chief Chandrasekhar
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 29 (ANI): Kerala State BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed on Sunday that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won the recent Nilambur Assembly by-election due to support from Jamaat-e-Islami, which he described as an 'illegal, anti-national, and anti-constitutional' organisation.' 'This is neither a victory of the Congress party nor of the UDF. This is a victory for Jamaat-e-Islami,' Chandrasekhar told ANI. 'This is a victory for Nilambur in particular. For the UDF, this has been possible due to two reasons: the active support of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which is an illegal, anti-national, and anti-constitutional organisation, and the division of the CPM votes... While the UDF views Nilambur as reflecting the sentiment of Kerala, the majority of Kerala is unlikely to vote for the Jamaat-e-Islami's mandate... It is an extremely dangerous and desperate political move by the Congress to bring the Jamaat-e-Islami into the mainstream,' the BJP leader said. UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath of Congress defeated LDF's M Swaraj of CPI(M) by a large margin of 11,077 votes in the Nilambur assembly by-election, polling for whoch was held on June 19. Shoukath had secured 77,737 votes, a lead of 11,077 votes from M Swaraj of the CPM after 19 rounds of counting. Earlier reacting to the bypoll results, CPI(M) State secretary MV Govindan had said the UDF conducted a communally divisive campaign using the its alliance with the 'radical Islamist' Jama'at-e-Islami as a front. The CPI (M) leader said that the UDF opened the door for Islamist and Hindu majoritarian outfits to leverage votes through schismatic communal messaging. The IUML and Congress have abandoned broad-based party politics. Instead, they have stoked profoundly divisive identity politics for electoral gain, Govindan said. The bypoll for the Nilambur seat was necessitated after the resignation of Left Democratic Front independent legislator PV Anvar, who later joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) after his acrimonious break-up with the ruling alliance. In its official statement, Congress in Kerala had said, 'Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has won the Nilambur assembly constituency, a sitting seat of the ruling CPM combine, by a huge margin of over 11,000 votes. Big congrats to Aryadan Shoukath and the entire Congress-UDF team that worked relentlessly for this shining victory.' 'Successive bypoll wins and a clean sweep in the parliament elections by the Congress and UDF have proved beyond doubt that the anti-incumbency sentiment against the Pinarayi Vijayan government is gaining momentum by the day. Now the anger of the people has reached its peak. The government cannot escape the heat or continue to live in denial, hiding behind the multi-crore PR machinery,' it added. (ANI)
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Construction of JB School building in Kundannoor in limbo
Kochi: Four years after Rs 1.5 crore was allocated through KIIFB for construction of a new building for the century-old JB School in Kundannoor, the project remains only halfway complete. Despite repeated appeals from school's parent-teacher association (PTA), authorities and teachers, alleged lackadaisical attitude of contractors and municipality has stalled progress, leaving the school unable to resume operations in the new academic year. The project was conceived following repeated demands from PTA, which highlighted the dangerous state of school's old building. Initially, Rs 3 crore was sanctioned for the project during the tenure of former MLA M Swaraj, but the amount was later slashed to Rs 1.5 crore, citing declining student numbers. According to teachers and parents, the school does not have facilities to match modern-day learning, including smart classrooms and computer labs. "Even last Thursday, several workers arrived at school and took away their construction tools, telling us construction will not continue as funds have not been credited to contractor," said Ambika P B, a teacher at the school. "Primary responsibility lies with contractors who have stalled construction for a long time. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ask A Pro: "I'm 70 with $1.4M in IRAs. Should I convert $120K/Year to a Roth?" SmartAsset Undo Secondly, Maradu municipality and MLA representing the constituency have failed to oversee the project," said municipality councillor C R Shanavas. Meanwhile, municipality chairman Antony Ashanparambil conceded the delay and blamed state govt for not releasing funds for the project in a timely manner. "Project has been delayed as contractor was not paid on time by govt. However, municipality has decided to intervene and ensure the project gets completed in the near future," said Ashanparambil.
India Today
24-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Congress's win in high-stakes Kerala bypoll warning for Pinarayi Vijayan?
In what many viewed as a semi-final match ahead of next year's Kerala Assembly elections, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a decisive victory in the Nilambur by-election on Monday. Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath defeated the ruling CPI(M)'s M Swaraj by a margin of 11,077 votes — marking the UDF's first win in a CPI(M)-held seat in over four by-election was necessitated by the resignation of PV Anvar, an independent MLA backed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), following a fallout with the front. Shoukath's win also symbolically reclaims the seat once held by his father, the late Aryadan Muhammed, for a record eight THE BY-ELECTION HAPPENEDJust a few years ago, few would have imagined PV Anvar challenging the CPI(M). Once celebrated by Left cadres as their own, despite being an independent, Anvar had turned Nilambur red in both 2016 and 2021, a constituency that traditionally leaned towards the Congress-led UDF. 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 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 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 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 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 the issues between Shashi Tharoor and the party leadership in the state that surfaced on polling day, did not affect the Congress'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 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
India Gazette
19-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Nilambur Assembly bypoll: 59.68 pc voter turnout recorded till 3 pm
Nilambur (Kerala) [India], June 19 (ANI): The Nilambur Assembly Constituency in Kerala, where by-elections are underway, recorded an approximate voter turnout of 59.68 per cent by 3:00 pm on Thursday. The polling, conducted under tight security arrangements, is part of the AC-Bye Election 2025. Polling in Kerala's Nilambur started today 7 am. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded M Swaraj, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded Aryadan Shoukath, while the BJP has fielded Adv. Mohan George is a candidate for the Nilambur Assembly constituency. United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Aryadan Shoukhath expressed confidence in a UDF victory for the constituency, saying that the state government has 'totally neglected Nilambur area,' with tribals not being rehabilitated and human-animal conflict increasing. Earlier, Kerala LoP and Congress MLA VD Satheesan also said that a UDF victory would mark the party's return to the state. Speaking to ANI, Satheesan said, 'This is a political contest, a direct fight between the UDF and the LDF. It is the semi-final leading up to the 2026 Assembly elections, and we are confident of winning by a significant margin. We see this as an opportunity to hold the Pinarayi government accountable, a government that has been in power for the past nine years.' The bypoll has been necessitated after the resignation of Left Democratic Front independent legislator PV Anvar, who later joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) after his acrimonious break-up with the ruling alliance. (ANI)
New Indian Express
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Nilambur bypoll turns into an intellectual wrestling match; voters still want roads, not rhetoric
MALAPPURAM: As Nilambur heads to vote on June 19 in one of the most talked-about bypolls in Kerala, the real battle isn't just between LDF's M Swaraj and UDF's Aryadan Shoukath -- it's also between two rival camps of writers and 'cultural icons' trying to out-endorse each other. Both candidates are widely accepted as members of Kerala's 'buji' (intellectual) circle -- well-read, well-spoken, and perhaps more likely to be found in a lit fest than a local market. The result? The campaign trail turned into something resembling a literary seminar with political banners. The buzz began when LDF launched a campaign fronted by cultural heavyweights, wrapped under the banner "Samskarika Keralam Swarajinoppam". In simpler terms: 'All the cultured folks are with Swaraj.' A public meet held on June 11 featured an all-star lineup -- K R Meera, Murukan Kattakada, Benyamin, Sheela Tomy, PT Kunjumuhammed and others -- who lent their names and reputations to push for Swaraj.
