KERALA :
Riding a strong anti-incumbency wave, Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath emerged triumphant in Kerala’s Nilambur by-election, securing 77,737 votes and defeating CPI(M)’s M. Swaraj by a margin of 11,077 votes in a closely fought contest.
Nilambur’s former MLA, P.V. Anvar, the whistleblower who exposed the alleged corruption of the Left Front government and whose resignation in January triggered this by-election, garnered 19,760 votes, while CPI(M)’s M. Swaraj secured 66,660 votes.
BJP candidate Mohan George finished fourth, trailing behind the Congress, CPI(M), and P.V. Anvar, with 8,648 votes.
The constituency, which falls within the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat represented by Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi, had 10 candidates registered, with 75.87 per cent polling.
Aryadan Shoukath continued to hold a steady lead over his main rival, CPI(M) candidate M. Swaraj, even in areas traditionally considered LDF strongholds.
With this victory, Shoukath, the son of late Congress veteran Aryadan Muhammed—who represented Nilambur from 1987 to 2016—has not only reclaimed Nilambur for the Congress but also secured its first by-election gain from the LDF since 2021, breaking a streak in which it had only managed to retain its sitting seats.
The election, which Kerala Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan described as the “semifinal to the coming Kerala Legislative Assembly election,” is seen as crucial as it reflected public sentiment on the nine-year rule of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government.
A loss in the by-election would have dealt a blow to Satheesan, who had firmly rejected Anvar’s bid to align himself with the UDF in Nilambur.
However, by securing around 19,000 votes, P.V. Anvar showcased his continuing influence in Nilambur, a constituency he had represented since 2016 as a CPI(M)-backed Independent.
His performance highlighted his stronghold in the region and even prompted KPCC president Sunny Joseph to remark, “The UDF has not shut its doors on P.V. Anvar.” In many ways, Anvar’s candidacy split the anti-LDF votes, some of which might otherwise have gone to the Congress.
The bypoll outcome is crucial for both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF government and the Congress-led Opposition UDF, as Kerala heads towards Assembly elections in April–May 2026. The Congress’s victory in the by-election serves as a major boost to its efforts to end the Pinarayi Vijayan regime, which is aiming for a third consecutive term.
source: http://www.maktoobmedia.com / Maktoob Media / Home> India> South India / by Maktoob Staff / June 23rd, 2025
