MALAPPURAM: The UDF’s sweep of all local bodies in the Nilambur assembly constituency has triggered a bitter credit war between Congress MLA Aryadan Shoukath and Trinamool Congress leader P V Anvar, with both sides claiming to be the decisive “victory factor”.
UDF captured Amarambalam, Chungathara and Pothukallu grama panchayats and Nilambur municipality – all previously ruled by CPM-led LDF – marking a complete political turnaround in the Nilambur belt.
Claiming credit for the shift, Anvar said his political influence was instrumental in diverting CPM votes to UDF. “Even before the local body elections, TMC had announced its support to UDF.
Though a few TMC candidates contested in some panchayats, they neither used the party symbol nor had any relevance. What we did was to channel CPM votes towards UDF using my influence. That is the reason for UDF’s majestic victory in Nilambur,” Anvar’s office told TNIE.
Some Congress leaders have dismissed the claim outright, asserting that the results were driven solely by what it described as the “Shoukath factor”. Party leaders said it was Shoukath’s constituency-wide campaign – marked by sustained house-to-house outreach, booth-level coordination and tight micro-planning – that swung voters decisively in the UDF’s favour.
“The former MLA (Anvar) fielded around eight candidates in Nilambur municipality alone, in his party’s name. The same was done in panchayats such as Moothedam and Vazhikadavu. Then he announced support for UDF. However, Nilambur’s politically conscious public did not take such moves seriously,” Shoukath said.
Even as the Nilambur unit of Congress rejects Anvar’s narrative, the party’s state leadership is moving to bring him into the UDF fold. KPCC president Sunny Joseph has said Anvar’s induction will not be delayed, a move supported by the League.
IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty is learnt to have mediated talks between Anvar and the UDF leadership even before the local body election. However, it was Shoukath and MLA A P Anilkumar who reportedly delayed the entry.