Malappuram: With its candidate declared close on the heels of the poll schedule declaration by the Election Commission for the bypoll for the Nilambur assembly constituency in Malappuram, the Congress and its United Democratic Front (UDF) has started showing boosted morale.
The alliance started its campaign as early as Tuesday for its candidate Aryadan Shoukath, Congress leader and popular film-director and producer.
Shoukath kicked off his campaign on a semi-sentimental note by visiting the grave of his father and Congress heavy weight, Aryadan Muhammed who straddled Kerala politics for five decades with eight wins to the state assembly and holding cabinet post in four terms.
Shoukath was accompanied by party colleague V S Joy, who was a major contender for the UDF ticket in this bypoll.
Speaking to reporters after praying at the grave of his father, Shoukath said that the UDF was united and was going to win Nilambur with a big margin.
That claim of unity however could be disputed, for the former Nilambur MLA PV Anvar on whose resignation the assembly seat fell vacant has been jockeying for the candidature of VS Joy, the district chief of the party whom he pitted against Shoukath in the party's internal equations.
Anvar who as an independent MLA had won the seat with the support of the CPI-M under the LDF banner, fell out with the party, starting with his disagreements with the Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He eventually resigned his assembly membership thereby leaving the Nilambur seat vacant. Then followed a series of moves by Anvar cosying upto the UDF at times and bargaining with the Congress for a seat at other times. Meanwhile, he formed a state unit of the Trinamool Congress and tried to make it a part of the UDF. The bargaining that followed over this, surrounding the question whether the Congress can live with its West Bengal rival in Kerala, is yet to be officially resolved.
The Congress, after much thought and vacillations for and against Anvar eventually decided to field its own candidate, with a gamble over Anvar withdrawing his support for UDF. But the Congress in an apparent calculation that Anvar has nowhere to go for the moment did not see an immediate risk in the decision, although even a fractional erosion of votes with his following ditching the UDF, could mean costly given the narrow margin of votes between the two fronts in last polls.
The more significant development is that through some dissuasion from contest mode, Joy whom Anvar was supporting, was won over by the party leadership and he declared support to the candidate chosen by the party.
But Shoukath is confident when he began his campaign from his father's grave saying it was his wish that the UDF should take back Nilambur.
Regarding the controversy surrounding his candidature in view of Trinamool Congress leader P V Anvar's opposition to it and support for Joy, Shoukath said that UDF has many competent candidates, but only one can contest and the party has given him that responsibility.
"That does not mean that the others are not competent. No matter what anyone says, UDF will stand united to win back Nilambur," he contended.
Echoing a similar stand, Joy, the District Congress Committee (DCC) president, said that with the announcement of Shoukath's candidature all controversies have ended.
He said that the bypoll was a fight against 'Pinarayism' and expressed confidence that Anvar will support the UDF in the bypoll campaign.
He also questioned why the CPI(M) has not announced its candidate for the bypoll.
"Is the CPI(M) and LDF not going to compete from here? Why have they not announced their candidate yet? These are issues which the media should discuss," he said.
Joy also recalled the role of the late stalwart Aryadan Muhammed saying "He is like a father to all of us," he added.
But Anvar has not immediate reconciled to the decision. After Shoukath's candidacy was announced, he claimed that public opinion in the assembly constituency was not in his favour.
He also accused Shoukath of trying to secure CPI(M) candidacy for the assembly segment two months ago.
The Nilambur assembly seat that falls within Wayanad Parliament.
The Nilambur bypoll will be held on June 19. The last date for filing nominations for the bypoll is June 2 and results will be announced on June 23.
(With inputs from PTI)