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New Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Administration crisis worsens in Kerala University; BJP syndicate members to move High Court
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The administrative crisis in Kerala University worsened on Friday with Vice-Chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal deciding not to consider files sent by K S Anil Kumar, whose suspension from the post of registrar was revoked by the syndicate but not endorsed by Kunnummal. Meanwhile, Mini Dijo Kappen, who was given the charge of registrar by Kunnummal, continued to be denied access to e-files owing to pressure from the Left-backed syndicate. Owing to the standoff, decisions taken by both Mini and Anil remained only on paper. According to sources, Mini has reportedly told the VC to exempt her from the registrar role in the wake of stiff opposition from syndicate members and pro-Left university staff. Amid the impasse, the Left-backed syndicate members have given a letter to Kunnummal demanding that a meeting of the syndicate be convened at the earliest. As university rules stipulate convening of syndicate meeting once every two months, the VC is reportedly not in favour of conceding to the request. It was a special syndicate meeting on July 6 that revoked Anil's suspension. However, the VC had termed the meeting 'invalid'. In another significant development, two pro-BJP members in the syndicate have decided to move the High Court seeking its intervention in breaking the administrative deadlock in the university. The pro-BJP members are opposed to Anil Kumar's continuance in the post. Meanwhile, SFI continued with its protest in the university against the VC.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CPI to examine LDF setback in Nilambur
T'puram: CPI state executive asked the party's Malappuram district committee to closely examine LDF's setback in Nilambur byelection. While some CPI leaders saw this instruction to the district committee as a routine step after any election loss, there are also rumours that the party wants to check if the bypoll result signals anti-incumbency. CPI state executive believes that if anti-incumbency was strong, UDF would have gained more votes in the constituency. Since that did not happen, the party doubts the anti-incumbency theory. The district leadership will also ascertain whether the votes polled by former Left-backed independent MLA PV Anvar reflected any anti-incumbency mood. TNN
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CPM to probe Nilambur bypoll debacle, vote loss in LDF bastions
Kozhikode: Noticing significant vote erosion to former Left-backed independent candidate PV Anvar in party strongholds in Nilambur, CPM will conduct a detailed probe to identify the reasons behind the byelection loss. The party will focus especially on how Anvar attracted votes from LDF's base as preliminary booth-level data showed a shift of votes that would have otherwise gone to the LDF. Sources said CPM's state secretariat meeting later this week will discuss the bypoll debacle but the party will wait for the probe results before deciding on corrective actions. CPM believes that nearly 5,000 votes Anvar secured came from Left strongholds, even if not directly from core party households. The party is especially concerned about its defeat in key areas like Nilambur municipality, Amarambalam and Pothukallu panchayats as well as the reduced margin in Karulayi, where a large lead was expected. You Can Also Check: Kozhikode AQI | Weather in Kozhikode | Bank Holidays in Kozhikode | Public Holidays in Kozhikode Compared to 2021 elections, LDF lost 14,567 votes in the constituency, a drop of 9%. In 2021, the Left-backed independent MLA (Anvar) had secured 81,227 votes but in 2025, Swaraj managed only 66,660 votes. At Swaraj's birthplace, Pothukallu and in Nilambur municipality—where he is a voter— LDF trailed behind UDF. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Palawig: Scholarships You Can Apply For (Start Now) College Scholarship | Google Search Search Now Undo Anvar won over 100 votes in four booths and more than 2,000 votes in Amarambalam panchayat. In Left-ruled Karulayi, he secured over 100 votes in seven booths and more than 1,800 votes in the panchayat. In Nilambur municipality, he gained over 2,000 votes. While LDF's high-profile candidate M Swaraj secured the party's core votes, some party sympathizers did not fully support him. Sources said Anvar, who served as an MLA for nine years, had built goodwill among these sympathizers, which affected the vote share, even though CPM had instructed its cadres to avoid him. CPM state secretary MV Govindan had acknowledged that many votes Anvar secured should have gone to LDF. With local body and assembly elections coming up, CPM plans to identify weaknesses and stop vote leakage, which will be crucial for winning individual wards. Despite the excitement around Swaraj's candidacy, especially within Left circles, it did not bring in the extra votes needed for an LDF win in Nilambur.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Nilambur byelection: Day of reckoning for UDF and LDF
Kozhikode: Counting of votes for the high-stakes Nilambur assembly bypoll will take place on Monday. The bypoll saw a keenly-contested race between UDF and LDF, with former Left-backed MLA and independent candidate PV Anvar adding complexity to the race. A UDF win would signal public discontent with the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF govt, while an LDF victory would strengthen the ruling front's push for a third term in power. The counting will begin at 8am on Monday at Marthoma Higher Secondary School in Chungathara. Officials will open the strongroom holding EVMs at 7.30am in the presence of candidates' agents. Counting will start with postal ballots at 8am, followed by EVM votes from 8.10am. There will be 14 tables for counting EVM votes, four for postal ballots and one for pre-counting electronically transmitted postal ballot system votes. Votes from 263 polling booths will be counted in 19 rounds, covering 14 booths per round. After all rounds, officials will count VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations separately in the presence of Election Commission observers. A total of 86 officials will manage the counting, including 25 micro-observers, 24 counting supervisors, 30 counting assistants and seven assistant returning officers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ductless Air Conditioners Are Selling Like Crazy [See Why] Keep Cool Click Here Undo The third round of randomization for officials will take place at 5:30am on Monday. The entire counting process will be monitored using CCTV surveillance. A three-tier security system—comprising central forces, state police and local police—will deploy 900 personnel on duty. Election Commission observers and the returning officer will oversee the process. Following EC guidelines, arrangements have been made for candidates and their agents to monitor counting. EVM counting will start with UDF-ruled Vazhikkadavu panchayat, followed by Moothedam panchayat. If there is no clear lead in these initial rounds, it will likely indicate the tone for the final result. Otherwise, suspense will build as later booths—including Amarambalam, where the LDF expects a strong lead—are counted at the end. After Vazhikkadavu and Moothedam, counting will proceed with other panchayats like Edakkara, Pothukallu, Chungathara, Nilambur, Karulayi and Amarambalam. UDF expects its candidate Aryadan Shoukath to win by over 10,000 votes, while CPM's internal booth-level data estimates a narrow victory of 1,600 votes for its candidate M Swaraj. Nilambur byelection recorded a voter turnout of 75.87%. Of the 2,32,057 registered voters, 1,76,070 cast their votes, including 1,74,667 through EVMs and 1,403 postal ballots.
The Wire
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
A Test for Ruling Parties as Bypolls in Five Crucial Constituencies Get Underway
Voting for bypolls in five crucial assembly constituencies spread across four states began on June 19, amidst pitched campaigns by all parties in the fray. The bypolls will especially test the political mettle of ruling parties, especially in West Bengal and Kerala, where assembly elections are slated next year, while in Gujarat and Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party that has kept a low profile since its loss in Delhi assembly polls, will look to recover some ground. The constituencies where bypolls were held are Nilambur (Kerala), Kaliganj (West Bengal), Ludhiana West (Punjab), Visavadar and Kadi (Gujarat). The polls in Nilambur are particularly interesting, as the seat was vacated by two-time Left-backed independent legislator P.V. Anvar after his much-publicised fallout with the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Anvar, who began as a leader of Congress-backed Kerala Students Union has had a patchy political journey; he joined the breakaway faction Democratic Indira Congress led by the late K. Karunakaran after breaking ranks with the Congress and later joined hands with the Left Democratic Front as an independent contestant from Nilambur. He was seen as a zealous supporter of chief minister Vijayan but later blamed the state police for its alleged anti-minority mindset. He accused the police under Vijayan of stigmatising Muslim residents of Malappuram district as 'gold smugglers' and 'hawala operators' and severely lashed out at the chief minister for its conspicuous silence. Anvar even attempted to seek support from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, only to be rebuffed by Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin. Finally, he joined the Trinamool Congress, declared that he would lead its expansion in Kerala, and submitted his resignation as the Nilambur MLA to evade anti-defection law. Although popular, Anvar is not contesting the bypolls himself. In this absence, the Left Democratic Front-led by Vijayan will look to win the seat to establish its control in the important Malabar seat. Vijayan has picked M. Swaraj, who has sharply risen in stature in the CPI(M) over the last few years, as the LDF's candidate, while the Congress-led United Democratic Front has nominated its 2016 candidate Aryadan Shoukath to the constituency. Shoukath's father Aryadan Mohammad had won the seat eight times. The UDF faces a challenge too, as it has lost two successive state elections and a win from its traditional seat will boost its confidence and galvanise edgy allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). In any case, the contest is likely to be tight as Anvar has won the seat with a margin of only 2,700 votes in 2021 when he defeated Congress's V.V. Prakash. The urban constituency in Punjab has suddenly become keenly-watched fare, as its electoral outcome will signal whether the ruling Aam Aadmi Party still enjoys its popularity in the state or not. Many observers have noted that the AAP government in the state has been facing a lot of criticism from many sections of the population. Since Ludhiana (West) is an affluent constituency, majorly comprising Hindu Khatris, the BJP is looking to make a comeback and has fielded the popular Jiwan Gupta to take on AAP's Rajya Sabha MP and industrialist Sanjeev Arora, who is contesting his maiden election. The seat fell vacant after sitting AAP legislator Gurpreet Bassi Gogi's death in an accident. AAP's top brass – Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Atishi – have camped in Ludhiana to campaign for Arora, and is said to be overseeing all preparations. In 2022, Gogi defeated Congress's Bharat Bhushan Ashu by a little over 7,500 votes. Ashu has been fielded by the Congress again. The BJP believes that its candidate Gupta will get votes from traditional AAP and Congress supporters, and is likely to challenge the two parties like never before. However, the BJP has never won this seat. On the other hand, the Congress has won the seat six times since its creation in 1977, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has won it twice. In this image released by @msisodia via X on June 17, 2025, AAP leader Manish Sisodia during a roadshow for the Ludhiana West Assembly constituency by-elections, in Ludhiana, Punjab. Photo: X/@msisodia via PTI. The saffron party, however, hopes to repeat its Lok Sabha performance in the seat. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Ludhiana seat was won by Congress's Amarinder Singh Raja Warring but the BJP's candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu, who had recently defected from the Congress, had taken a lead in the assembly segment. The party's performance will also be a test case for Sunil Jakhar, who was made the party president of the state after the former senior Congress leader defected to the BJP. The SAD has fielded Parupkar Singh Ghuman, a prominent lawyer in the city, and it will look to claw back into relevance after a series of electoral setbacks in the state. However, its presence in the urban seat has been marginal lately. Here, the contest appears to be polarised between the ruling Trinamool Congress and a fledgling BJP. While TMC has fielded Alifa Ahamed, daughter of the sitting MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed who died of a cardiac arrest, the BJP has nominated Ashish Ghosh. The seat has historically seen a tight contest between the TMC and the Congress, the latter having been dominant for many years. However, over the last decade, the TMC has registered its strong organisational presence in the seat, while Congress has weakened considerably. The shift can be seen in the difference between the electoral outcomes of 2016 and 2021. In 2016, the Congress's Hasanuzzaman S.K. narrowly defeated the TMC 's Nasiruddin Ahamed but the grand old party faded into a distant third position in 2021 registered on around 12% votes. TMC's Ahamed won the seat with over 53% votes in 2021 but the BJP, which had received only 5.56% votes in 2016, shot to the second position with nearly 31% votes, indicating a strong Hindu-Muslim polarisation. The saffron party has yet again attempted to polarise the elections along religious lines by raking up memories of the recent Murshidabad riots where Hindus were allegedly attacked by Muslim protestors against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. It has attempted to consolidate Hindu votes, while hoping a division among the Muslims between the TMC and the Congress in the minority-dominated seat. The Congress has fielded a relatively new face, Kabil Uddin. TMC candidate Alifa Ahmed during a campaign rally for the bypoll of Kaliganj Assembly constituency, in Nadia district, West Bengal, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Photo: PTI. The saffron party will look to consolidate its presence in Kadi, which it has won with over 50% votes in the last two elections. However, the Visavadar seat has turned out to be an interesting battleground, with the Aam Aadmi Party fielding Gopal Italia, who shot to fame during the 2015 Patidar agitation in the state. Kejirwal has himself addressed multiple rallies in Visavadar in support of Italia. AAP's Bhupendrabhai Gandubhai Bhayani had won Visavadar in Gujarat's Junagadh in 2022, but his recent switch to the BJP left the seat vacant. Bhayani had won the seat by securing nearly 45% votes and defeated BJP's Harshadkumar Ribadiya by over 7000 votes. However, the BJP did not field Bhayani for the bypolls and has instead chosen its former district president Kirit Patel. Making the contest triangular is Congress's Nitin Ranpariya, who will be looking to gain a foothold in this former party bastion. BJP appears to be confident in Kadi which it secured over 50% even amidst strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the party in 2017. The chief opposition here is the Congress, which has only fallen through the charts in the last two elections. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
