Uncertainty continues over Anvar's entry into UDF
Uncertainty hangs over the entry of former Nilambur legislator P.V. Anvar, who previously won as an Independent candidate backed by the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front, into the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and its forging of an electoral understanding with him for the upcoming byelection triggered by his resignation.
The Congress leadership wanted Mr. Anvar to either directly join the party or align with a minor constituent of the UDF. However, he appears hesitant to abruptly sever ties with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) where he holds the post of State convener. Moreover, he also does not want to join the Congress, a move he knows as a former Congress leader, would not only be politically detrimental but also diminish his bargaining power within the UDF.
Considering the strained relations between the Congress and the TMC in West Bengal, the Congress leadership have urged Mr. Anvar to cut his connections with the TMC, suggesting he instead join the Communist Marxist Party (CMP) . In fact, Mr. Anvar was scheduled to hold discussions with CMP general secretary C.P. John in Kozhikode on Friday, a meeting that ultimately did not materialise.
Meanwhile, a high-level UDF meeting convened in Kozhikode on Friday welcomed Mr. Anvar into its fold and decided to entrust the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, with the task of formulating the modalities for his inclusion in the alliance. The final decision about associating with Mr. Anvar would be taken after consulting with the Congress high command, UDF convener M.M. Hassan said at a press briefing.
Despite this development, speculation is also rife that the TMC national leadership has given approval for Mr. Anvar to contest the byelection, should he fail to reach an agreement with the UDF. Incidentally, Mr. Anvar welcomed the decision of the UDF meeting.
Mr. Anvar, elected from the Nilambur constituency as an LDF-supported candidate in both 2016 and 2021, shot to limelight following allegations he levelled against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his political secretary P. Sasi, and a team of police officers, including Additional Director General of Police M.R. Ajit Kumar, six months ago. However, Congress leaders now believe that his influence has faded and may not secure the electoral gains the party anticipates in the upcoming bypolls.
Even so, Mr. Anvar retains pockets of influence in the constituency and his political moves will be keenly watched in the bypolls, in the upcoming local body elections this year and the Assembly elections in 2026.
He established a new political entity, the Democratic Movement of Kerala, which he later merged with the TMC before his resignation from the Assembly.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Number of Cong leaders, workers, social activists join AAP
Ludhiana: A number of Congress leaders, workers and social activists joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alongwith their supporters, AAP claimed on Saturday. Punjab AAP working president Amansher Singh Shery Kalsi and cabinet minister Mohinder Bhagat formally inducted the new entrants in the presence of party leader Sunny Ahluwalia and local leaders. According to AAP, Sham Lal Bhagat, Congress vice-president from Ward 72, joined the party. Along with him, his associates Devraj Bhagat, Ashwini Bhagat, Ram Bhagat, Jagdish Bhagat, Ravi Bhagat, Vishambhar Bhagat, Rajinder Rinku, Rajkumar Bhagat, Rohit Bhagat, Aman Bhagat, Vasudev Bhagat, and Kishan Bhagat also joined the party. AAP sources said that Ramesh Bhagat is a leader of the Bhagat community and national president of Shivraj Sena. He was accompanied by his associates Ravi Bhagat, Kishan Lal Bhagat, Babbu Bhagat, Madan Chahal, Keval Kishan, Arun Jogi, Mohit Bhagat, Shivchand, Sunil Bhagat, Mohit Bhagat, and Manjeet Kumar. "Several young leaders and social activists from the city also became part of the AAP family. Notable names include Pankaj Mehta, Piyush Sharma, Harjit Arora, Parminder Singh, Sanjeev Aggarwal, Ketan Aggarwal, Honey Singh Bohat, Sherry Singh Bohat, Suresh Birla, Vicky Eklavya, Vikas, Akshay, Vishal Gopal, Shubham, Sunny Gehlot, Ravi, Rohit Atwal, and Tushar Gaurav," the party said. Addressing mediapersons, Shery Kalsi welcomed the new leaders and said, "Leaders from various parties are continuously joining the Aam Aadmi Party. They are influenced by its policies and work. The massive number of people joining us today will undoubtedly strengthen us in the bypoll." He added that under the leadership of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, the AAP government was providing 300 units of free electricity to all households every month without any discrimination. "Moreover, substantial reforms are being made in the education and healthcare sectors. Seeing these revolutionary works of the AAP government, opposition parties are scared," he maintained. Kalsi said that the BJP and Congress have no agenda, therefore, they engage in lower-level and manipulative politics. He accused the BJP of openly supporting Congress. "Both are working hand in hand because they don't want a third party to emerge in Punjab politics," he said. Cabinet minister Mohinder Bhagat described chief minister Bhagwant Mann as the "messiah of the poor." "He has done historic work for the poor, Dalits, and marginalised in the last three years. This is why Punjab's poor and backward communities stand firmly with the Aam Aadmi Party," he said. AAP's Punjab general secretary Sunny Ahluwalia took a jibe at the Congress, saying that its leaders kept fighting among themselves. "Their candidate, Bharat Bhushan Ashu is so arrogant that he doesn't even respect the local MP or his own party's state president, Raja Warring. Last time, people defeated him for his arrogance. This time, too, people will teach him a lesson," he claimed. MSID:: 121694620 413 |
New Indian Express
44 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Dynastic feuds may reshape Indian politics
In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leans on its OBC and Muslim vote bank, and Lalu Prasad Yadav's anti-elite legacy. His sons, Tej Pratap and Tejashwi, are locked in a clownish feud as Tej Pratap's social media rant about 'Jaichands' and a 12-year romance clash with Tejashwi's steady hand as Lalu's heir. The RJD's political now wobbles as Tej Pratap's antics, in the backdrop of his estranged wife Aishwarya's lament, alienate voters. If the RJD fractures, Bihar's educated youth craving jobs over drama could turn to the BJP's development narrative or Nitish Kumar's JD(U) again. Consolidation under Tejashwi would bolster the RJD's clout, challenging the BJP's dominance and forcing the Congress to play second fiddle in alliances. UP's Samajwadi Party (SP), rooted in Yadav and OBC identity, still stings from its 2016 family feud, when Akhilesh Yadav ousted uncle Shivpal, costing the party the 2017 election. Akhilesh now wields the SP's political clout consisting of its caste-based vote bank. But UP's urbanising youth, less swayed by caste, demand results. If the SP splinters further, the BJP with its Hindutva and development mix will tighten its grip on the state, leaving the Congress to pick up scraps. A unified SP leveraging its Yadav-Muslim base could challenge the BJP's hegemony, forcing national parties to negotiate hard for UP's 80 Lok Sabha seats. Maharashtra's NCP, built on Maratha pride and rural networks, is reeling from Ajit Pawar's 2023 betrayal splitting from Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule to join the BJP. Ajit's grab for the NCP's name, symbol and the Maratha vote bank left Supriya's faction scrambling. If the split persists, the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena will dominate the state, with the Congress gaining marginal urban votes. A reunited NCP, though a long shot, could reclaim its kingmaker status, forcing national parties to vie for its support in coalition games. The BSP, anchored in Dalit empowerment, is Mayawati's fortress. Her anointment of brother Anand Kumar and nephew Aakash screams of nepotism. Its political capital is its Jatav Dalit base, which is slipping as educated Dalits drift to BJP's development promises. If the BSP collapses under dynastic weight, the BJP will absorb its voters, cementing dominance in UP, while the Congress might snag urban Dalits. Consolidation under Aakash, if Mayawati steps back, could revive the BSP's Dalit clout, challenging national parties in UP's caste cauldron. West Bengal's Trinamool Congress, fuelled by Bengali sub-nationalism, is Mamata Banerjee's domain, with nephew Abhishek Banerjee as heir. His rise as MP and party general secretary irks veterans, but Mamata's grip keeps dissent at bay. But Bengal's growing middle class demands merit. If the TMC fractures post-Mamata, the BJP's Hindutva pitch could sway voters, with the Congress a distant contender. A consolidated TMC under Abhishek could dominate Bengal, forcing national parties to cede ground in eastern coalitions. In Tamil Nadu, the DMK thrives on Dravidian identity, championing Tamil pride and social justice. M K Stalin, Karunanidhi's son, rules unchallenged, grooming his son Udhayanidhi Stalin as successor, with hardly any overt pushback from anyone within the family or outside. The DMK's politics, comprising its Tamil base and anti-Hindi stance, is robust, but Tamil Nadu's IT-driven prosperity is breeding a youth sceptical of dynasty. In the unlikely but hypothetical situation of the DMK splintering, the BJP could gain urban footholds while the AIADMK mops up rural votes. A unified DMK, with Udhayanidhi at the helm, would keep Tamil Nadu a regional stronghold by marginalising national parties. The Pattali Makkal Katchi, ensconced in Tamil Nadu's Vanniyar caste silo, faces collapse as S Ramadoss battles son Anbumani, who was sacked from party president's chair in April 2025 over a BJP alliance spat. Anbumani's defiance targets the PMK's political foundation. If the PMK implodes, the DMK and AIADMK will rupture its fountainhead, with the BJP gaining marginal caste votes. But a united PMK could still sway coalitions, forcing national parties to court its niche clout.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
As charges swirl, KLIS duel boils over
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed former minister T Harish Rao , alleging that Telangana's irrigation sector suffered irreversible damage due to the faulty decisions made by the BRS govt. He demanded Harish Rao tender an unconditional apology for misleading the people of the state on the Kaleshwaram project. In a statement on Saturday, Uttam refuted the allegations levelled by Harish Rao and claimed that after the BRS govt inaugurated the project in 2019, only 162 TMC of water was lifted, of which 63 TMC was released into the sea. He demanded an answer from Harish on how the BRS govt managed to irrigate 22 lakh acres with just 99 TMC. "The BRS govt took out rallies after their delegation returned from Maharashtra and announced that a barrage would be constructed at Thummidihatti. A gravity canal was also constructed from Thummidihatti to Yellampally, covering a distance of 100 km. While that was a gravity-based project, Kaleshwaram relies on reverse pumping — only to release a huge quantity of water into sea," the minister claimed. He also dismissed allegations that the previous Congress govt had spent very little on the Pranahitha-Chevella project. He said before the formation of state, 6,156 crore was spent on the project and by 2016, it rose to 11,679 crore. The minister further said the Central Water Commission had never claimed there was no water availability at Thummidithatti. He said that had the BRS govt completed the project at the site with about 38,000 crore, it could have irrigated 17 lakh acres of new ayacut up to Chevella — eliminating the need for 1 lakh crore for the Kaleshwaram project. Of the remaining amount of 62,000 crore (if Pranahitha-Chevella was taken up with 38,000 cr), the govt could have completed many projects such as Palamuru, Nettampadu, Bheema, SLBC, Dindi, Sitharama, and other projects, Uttam claimed. He further said the govt was paying 16,000 crore in interest on the loans taken by the BRS govt for the Kaleshwaram project.
