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Former MLA and CPI-M state secretariat member M Swaraj will contest as the LDF candidate in the Nilambur bypoll to be held on June 19. CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan declared on Friday

the name of Swaraj at a press conference here after the party’s state secretariat meeting in Thiruvananthapuram. He said the Left front considers the Nilambur bypoll as a political fight and

that’s why Swaraj, who is an excellent candidate for a political fight, was fielded in the constituency, he added. Advertisement “In the current political scenario, the Left Front has an

upper hand in the constituency. PV Anvar, who parted ways with the Left Front, is currently in a pathetic state,” said the CPI-M state secretary. Advertisement Though there were speculations

about the CPI-M going for an independent candidate, the leadership decided to field its state secretariat member to take on Congress leader Aryadan Shoukath to retain the constituency. A

former MLA from Tripunithura, Swaraj had lost to K Babu in the constituency in the last assembly election. Nilambur was a UDF stronghold, veteran Congress leader late Aryadan Mohammed

(father of present Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath) was elected from the constituency consecutively from 1977 to 2011 except in 1982. However, LDF independent PV Anvar won from Nilambur

in the 2016 and 2021 elections. The constituency went to the bypoll after Anvar ‘s resignation as MLA alleging high handedness by the Pinarayi Vijayan government. The CPI-M was not able to

win the Nilambur constituency on party symbol after K Kunhali’s win in 1967. However, the party, this time around, picked its state secretariat member to take on Aryadan Shoukath. It has

been pointed out that the Left party has fielded youthful and articulate Swaraj as it expects the tussle between the Congress and PV Anvar over his (Anvar’s) entry into the UDF will create a

favourable situation for the Left front. Anvar, who quit the Left Front and resigned as Nilambur MLA, was upset over the Congress’s decision to field Aryadan Shoukath as the UDF candidate.

He was in favour of Malappuram DCC president PV Joy’s candidature. Anvar, who is the head of the Trinamul Congress Kerala unit, warned that his party would contest in Nilambur if the

Congress leadership failed to address his concern. It has been reported that the executive committee meeting of the Trinamool Congress state unit held in Manjeri on Thursday gave Anvar the

green signal to enter the fray. Advertisement