THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With KPCC general secretary Aryadan Shoukath and Malappuram DCC president V S Joy emerging as top contenders for the Congress ticket to the Nilambur by-election, the party’s state leadership finds itself in a Catch-22 situation.
While a survey conducted by the AICC found favour with Shoukath, an independent evaluation gave Joy the upper hand.
The survey was conducted to ascertain the UDF’s chances and support for the probable candidates. Only the names of Shoukath and Joy were considered.
The by-election was necessitated after P V Anvar quit the seat when he left the LDF.
“The Congress has not reached the point of finalising its candidate,” senior party leader in charge of the constituency A P Anil Kumar told TNIE. “The AICC might have conducted surveys. However, the candidate will be announced after considering several factors,” he said.
For any candidate, winning the by-election would be a sure ticket for the next assembly election. And with Anvar, who bested Shoukath in 2016, declaring his unconditional support, the Congress is in high spirits.
Shoukath’s major asset is his father Aryadan Muhammed’s legacy in the Congress. Aryadan had played a major role in building the party base in Malappuram, especially in Nilambur, taking on the Muslim League’s infallibility. Though the League has strong presence in the constituency there are non-League voters and secular sections who support Shoukath. Leaders know very well that the CPM has been closely watching developments in the Congress.
Meanwhile, the KPCC is happy with the performance of Joy as DCC president. He is the youngest DCC chief in the state. “The Malappuram DCC is one of the best working committees in the party,” Joy told TNIE.
“Recently, around 10,000 people joined the Congress in the district. The party candidate will be decided by the high command,” he added.