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Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Nilambur by-election campaign gathers steam, rival fronts make victory claims
Nilambur (Kerala): With the second round of campaigning for the Nilambur assembly by-election gaining momentum, both the traditional rival fronts in Kerala on Tuesday expressed confidence in their victory. With the campaigning starting to peak after the Bakrid break, two star campaigners - Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi for the Congress-led United Democratic Front - are arriving in Nilambur later this week. Nilambur goes to the polls on June 19, and the principal fight is between Aryadan Shoukath of the Congress and of the CPI-M, with two-time Left-backed Independent legislator P.V. Anvar, who quit in January following a major spat with Chief Minister Vijayan, and Mohan George of the BJP also in the fray. On Tuesday morning, the state's ruling CPI-M held its state secretariat meeting near Nilambur and concluded that fielding Swaraj has changed things and they are on course to win the June 19 polls. Likewise, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who is spearheading the Congress-led UDF's campaign, said they are winning hands down. "We are heading for a win, and we will take back Nilambur," he said. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a row broke out with CPI-M state Secretary slamming the Congress for having an electoral tie-up with the Welfare Party, which has the backing of the Jamaat-e-Islami. Satheesan hit back at Govindan and said all know that not long ago, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Welfare Party had supported the CPI-M. ' When any party supports the CPI-M, then they are all secular, but when the same party supports us, then they become communal. We all know that when (E.K.) Nayanar-led Left government was at the helm of affairs, one of their achievement was putting PDP leader (Abdul Nazeer) Madani behind bars, and now the PDP is supporting the Left,' said Satheesan. However, Govindan contended that the PDP and Jamaat-e-Islami are different. From 1965 onwards, the Congress candidates won the Nilambur seat a record 11 times, the CPI-M twice, and a Left-supported independent candidate thrice. Nilambur assembly constituency is part of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, and Priyanka Gandhi secured a staggering 65,132 votes from the segment in the November bypolls, while Anvar, when contesting as a CPI-M supported candidate in 2016, won with 11,504 votes and in 2021, the margin came down to a mere 2,700 votes.
Hans India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Trouble looms in Congress' Kerala unit over selection of candidate for Nilambur bypoll
Trouble has broken out in the Congress's Kerala unit over the selection of the candidate for the upcoming Nilambur Assembly by-election. The Election Commission on Sunday announced that the by-election will be held on June 19, along with four other seats in three other states. The election became a necessity after two-time Left-supported Independent legislator P.V. Anvar surprised all by resigning as the legislator in January this year after a serious difference of opinion with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. As is the usual practice in Kerala politics, if leaders or parties break up with one of the traditional rivals - the CPI-M-led Left and the Congress-led UDF, they shift loyalties to the opposite camp. Similarly, Anvar expressed his desire to join ranks with the Congress-led UDF and even though he was told that the UDF will decide on him at the appropriate time, he, apprehending that this may not happen, on Monday, expressed his displeasure, saying that he did not resign for anyone to contest and even dropped enough hints that he might even enter the fray himself. Anvar, since quitting as a legislator, has been trying his best to enter the UDF. However, the Congress leadership, especially Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, right from the beginning, was not very keen, as last year, Anvar levelled an allegation on the floor of the Assembly against Satheesan, which eventually turned out to be false. Another reason why Anvar is upset is, he and likely Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukat, whom he defeated in 2016, do not have the best of relations. Meanwhile, the Congress's Malappuram President V. S. Joy and Shoukat are the two key contenders, and with Anvar firing the first salvo, those close to Joy have warned that if he is not considered, things might be difficult. This confusion broke out hours afterthe newly-appointed KPCC President Sunny Joseph said that the party high command will be announcing the Congress candidate on Monday. Meanwhile, the CPI-M led Left leadership is closely watching the sudden turn of events in the Congress and all eyes are on them to see if they will do what they did in Palakkad Assembly by-election in November last year, when they fielded dissident Congress leader Dr P. Sarin as their candidate. The BJP is also in two minds as its state President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday said this election has been a needless one thrust upon them, and they will decide on what needs to be done soon.
Hans India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Kerala BJP condemns midnight arrest of journalist Shajan Skaria
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday condemned the midnight arrest of journalist Shajan Skaria by the state police, saying it is a blatant violation of accepted democratic norms. Former Union Minister Chandrasekhar said: "Skaria was arrested when he was having dinner at his home, here on Monday night. He was not even allowed to wear a shirt. This shows the intolerance of the CPI-M-led Left government." Notably, the journalist has been bringing out all the allegations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his government. Incidentally, this is not the first time that Skaria has come under the police radar, which, according to him, is acting at the behest of CM Vijayan's office. On Monday night, when Skaria was having dinner with his aged parents, the police, acting on a complaint from a woman regarding alleged defamation, barged into his house and arrested him. Skaria's arrest was recorded. From the police camp, he was taken for a medical checkup. Skaria was produced at the residence of a local magistrate. During the hearing, Skaria's counsel pointed out that his custody and arrest were against the accepted norms and his custodial interrogation was not needed, as he had always abided by the law of the land. The magistrate later granted bail to the journalist. Skaria said he was targeted as he has always "exposed" CM Vijayan's wrongdoings, especially the recent case against his daughter. Chandrasekhar slammed the INDIA bloc state governments for behaving in the "most undemocratic" ways, even while they speak of freedom of the press. "The BJP will always fight this undemocratic and autocratic style of functioning, and it's not just Skaria, the BJP will fight injustice against all Keralaites," added Chandrasekhar. Over the years, Skaria, through his online and YouTube news channel, has grabbed eyeballs.
