Kerala: Ruling LDF loses Nilambur seat to Cong-led UDF in bypoll

Malappuram: In a fiercely fought byelection, the opposition Congress-led UDF on Monday wrested the Nilambur assembly constituency from the LDF by a margin of 11,077 votes, delivering a severe blow to the ruling dispensation ahead of the state election next year.

Congress' Aryadan Shoukath defeated CPI(M) state secretariat member M Swaraj by a convincing margin in the Nilambur constituency, following weeks-long spirited campaign and heated exchanges between the rivals.

It is the fourth byelection setback for the Marxist party-led Left Front during the ongoing tenure of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government. The LDF earlier lost in Puthuppally, Palakkad and Thrikkakara Assembly segments.

The ruling CPI(M) said it accepted the people's ruling.

Significantly, it is the first time the LDF has lost a sitting seat to its political rivals.

The Nilambur seat fell vacant after LDF-backed independent and two-time MLA P V Anvar resigned, setting off a heated political contest in the forest-fringe constituency.

The byelection drew widespread attention as it was seen as a semi-final for the Pinarayi Vijayan government, which is now in its fourth year in office.

For the Congress-led UDF, a win here provided a much-needed boost ahead of the Assembly polls next year.

Of the total 1,75,989 votes polled in the June 19 byelection, Shoukath, son of the late Congress stalwart Aryadan Mohammed, garnered 77,737 votes. He secured 44.17 per cent of the total votes polled, according to the Election Commission.

Swaraj had to settle for 66,660 votes, which was 37.88 per cent of the total, the EC said.

In a surprise to both the UDF and the LDF, independent candidate Anvar, now the state convenor of the Trinamool Congress, delivered a strong performance in the byelection.

Anvar got 19,760 votes (11.23 per cent), while BJP-led NDA candidate Mohan George lagged far behind with 8,648 votes (4.91 per cent), denting the saffron party's hopes of making inroads into the constituency ahead of the Assembly election next year.

Though it was generally considered a four-cornered fight in Nilambur, Shoukath maintained a lead from the counting of postal votes and never gave his opponents a chance to push him back at any stage.

Speaking to reporters here, Shoukath, a former chairman of Nilambur Municipality, expressed happiness over the mandate given to him by the people and said it was a reflection of the anti-incumbency wave prevailing in the state.

"It is the victory of the people of Nilambur... the victory of the entire people of Kerala. The contempt and opposition of the people towards the LDF rule have turned into votes," he said.

As Shoukath secured victory by a comfortable margin, Swaraj congratulated him.

Swaraj said the CPI(M)-led LDF would closely examine the results but rejected suggestions of anti-incumbency against the Left government.

Earlier, the counting process began at 8 am sharp at Chungathara Mar Thoma Higher Secondary School, after election officials opened the strong room storing the voting machines.

The UDF camp erupted in joy in Nilambur and parts of Kerala as Shoukath established an unassailable lead over Swaraj.

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, who led the byelection campaign from the front, said the UDF would capture power in 2026.

"When there are dedicated workers and leaders who love the front wholeheartedly, the UDF will win over the hearts of the people. This is the UDF--a United Democratic Front that functions like a single party. In 2026, the UDF will return like a storm," the Congress leader said in a Facebook post.

While AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal termed Shoukath's victory as the "people's verdict against the misrule under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan," senior UDF leaders P K Kunhalikutty and Ramesh Chennithala said it was proof of an anti-incumbency wave.

"The UDF has wrested the Nilambur seat from the LDF," Chennithala said.

Reacting to the election result, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said the Marxist party accepts the people's verdict in Nilambur.

"We will examine our poll debacle and move forward after rectifying our mistakes. We will make corrections if needed," he said.

Unlike many other constituencies, issues ranging from the common man's concerns -- such as human-animal conflicts and welfare pensions -- to international topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict and the Congress's alleged association with Jamaat-e-Islami became subjects of intense debate during the byelection campaign in Nilambur.

CM Vijayan, who attended multiple poll rallies in Nilambur and campaigned for party candidate Swaraj, accused the Congress leadership of playing communal cards to win the election.

The Congress-led UDF strongly rejected the charges, turning the allegation back at the LDF camp, accusing them of attempting to woo communal votes in the Muslim-dominated constituency.

The support extended by the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed political outfit, the Welfare Party, for the UDF in the election also triggered debates during the campaign.

The Left alleged that the Welfare Party's support for the UDF candidate was part of the communal stance that the Congress-led alliance in the state has been pursuing for some time.