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Nilambur assembly bypoll will be held on June 19: EC
While the formal notification for the by-election in Nilambur will be published on Monday, the last date for filing nominations is June 2
The Nilambur Assembly constituency in Kerala’s Malappuram district, which was vacated following the resignation of MLA PV Anvar in January, will witness a bye-election on June 19 with results to be counted on June 23, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.
While the formal notification for the by-election in Nilambur, scheduled to be held along with four other assembly seats in Gujarat, Punjab and West Bengal, will be published on Monday, the last date for filing nominations is June 2.
Politician-cum-businessman Anvar had won the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections from Nilambur as an LDF-backed Independent candidate. In 2021, his victory margin over UDF’s VV Prakash was just 2700 votes.
While he was a steadfast supporter of the LDF and particularly chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, fissures emerged in the relationship between Anvar and the coalition last year over a slew of allegations he raised about involvement of top cops in gold smuggling and accumulation of illegal wealth and the over-handedness of P Sasi, the political secretary of the CM. Though the government ordered probes on the basis of his complaints, the alleged failure of such probes to reach conclusions or decisive action distanced Anvar from the CM and the LDF leadership. On January 13, Anvar resigned as MLA and later announced unconditional support to the Congress-led UDF. The former MLA joined the Trinamool Congress and was appointed its state convenor. He has said that he will not contest the bypoll.
Nilambur, located in Malappuram district and part of the Wayanad parliamentary constituency, is a predominantly hilly seat and is known for its large, scenic teak cover. Nestled with forests on all sides near the border with Tamil Nadu, the constituency has made headlines for repeated human-wildlife encounters and fatalities in recent times. It’s boundaries encompass Nilambur municipality and seven panchayats — Amarambalam, Karulayi, Chungathara, Vazhikadavu, Moothedam, Edakkara and Pothukal.
In terms of its political history since inception in 1967, the constituency has elected LDF-backed nominees four times in 14 contests. In 10 contests, Congress candidates have won. The most successful was Aryadan Muhammed, late veteran Congress leader who was elected MLA 8 times, including consecutively from 1987 to 2016. The BJP-led NDA has had a weak presence in the constituency, garnering just 4.9% in 2021.
Following the announcement of the bypoll, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said people will judge the ‘opportunistic’ politics of Anvar.
“We will improve our position in the bypoll with the people’s support, overcoming the role of Judas played out by Anvar,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan said the Congress candidate’s name will be announced soon.
“The LDF will stand trial before the people for their nine years of misrule,” he said.
BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the party’s core committee will meet soon to fix the candidate.
“We have put forward the idea of ‘Viksit Kerala’ and we are finding acceptance among the people. The misrule under the current administration is visible in Nilambur also,” he said.
