Latest news with #MohanGeorge
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Nilambur all set for a four-cornered fight
Kozhikode: The electoral contest in Nilambur took shape on Monday as LDF candidate M Swaraj, TMC convener and former MLA PV Anvar and NDA candidate Mohan George filed their nomination papers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Nilambur will see a four-cornered battle as the deadline for filing papers has ended. Swaraj filed his nomination papers at Nilambur taluk office after leading a procession with CPM politburo member A Vijayaraghavan and leaders PK Biju, PK Sainaba and others. He said support for the continuation of the LDF govt went beyond party lines. "It's not just LDF workers but people from across the political spectrum are with us. The support comes from their appreciation of the govt's welfare and development work," he said. When asked if Anvar's candidature would affect LDF's chances, he said no candidate would be able to stop LDF's victory. Meanwhile, Anvar, whose resignation led to the bypoll, filed his nomination papers at the taluk office after holding a roadshow from Chandakunnu. He said he was contesting under the banner of Janakeeya Prathipaksha Prathiroda Munnani (JPPM), an alliance supported by All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and various groups representing farmers, labourers and traders. Aam Aadmi Party state unit also extended support and said they would back Anvar after getting approval from the national committee. Anvar said he would file a second set of nomination papers as an independent due to possible technical issues with using the TMC symbol as the party is not registered in Kerala. His affidavit showed assets worth Rs 52 crore, liabilities of Rs 20 crore and cash in hand of Rs 25,000. NDA candidate Mohan George filed his nomination papers after a roadshow with BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BDJS leader Thushar Vellappally and BJP leader PK Krishnadas. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Chandrasekhar said that although the election was unnecessary, NDA was contesting to oppose the anti-development and opportunistic politics of LDF and UDF and to present a new development agenda for Kerala. He claimed George was not chosen just because of his Christian background. "Our party does not follow vote bank politics. He was picked for his ability to serve the people. He is an educated advocate with a clear vision for Nilambur's development and is committed to it," added Chandrasekhar. UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath and SDPI candidate Sadik Naduthodi had submitted their nomination papers earlier.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
BDJS pledges support to Mohan George in Nilambur
A State council meeting of the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) here on Sunday declared its support to Mohan George, the candidate fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Nilambur byelection. Under the leadership of BDJS State president Tushar Vellappally, the party will organise family gatherings and public conventions as part of its campaign strategy in Nilambur. A resolution passed at the meeting also called for the full involvement of all State council members in the election campaign. Paddy farmers' issues The council also resolved to address the growing concerns of paddy farmers by organising a protest on June 7. The primary demand will be to raise the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy to ₹3,500 a quintal. Addressing the meeting, Mr. Vellappally criticised the State Agriculture department for its failure to extend timely and sufficient support to farmers and announced that the BDJS would soon launch a strong protest on the issue. He welcomed the Union government's record hike in the MSP and the rollout of a loan scheme under the Kisan Credit Card programme, offering credit to farmers at an interest rate of just 4%. Party State vice-president K. Padmakumar presided. Legal cell As part of its organisational expansion, the BDJS has formed a legal cell aimed at supporting the welfare of lawyers and coordinating related activities. Sinil Mundappally was elected chairman of the cell, while P.S. Jyothis was appointed its convener.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP fields Kerala Congress leader as party's candidate in Nilambur
Ending weeks of uncertainty, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national leadership in New Delhi on Sunday fielded advocate Mohan George as the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate for the Nilambur Assembly byelection. Mr. George, who entered politics as a leader of the Kerala Students Congress (KSC), was a close associate of the late founder of the Kerala Congress (B) [KC(B)], R. Balakrishna Pillai, for long. He later switched to several Kerala Congress parties and joined the Kerala Congress, a United Democratic Front (UDF) ally. Voters' orientation The BJP, which initially termed the bypoll at the fag end of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government as inconsequential, had realised that it could ill-afford to remain on the sidelines in the pivotal poll, widely reckoned an approximate point of reference to gauge the orientation of Kerala voters in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly polls. Nevertheless, questions about Mr. George's current political leanings prompted the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) campaigns in Nilambur to accuse each other of 'gifting' the BJP a candidate from the Christian settler farmer community, a significant electoral bloc in the constituency. (The BJP had garnered 17,000 votes in the Nilambur Assembly segment in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.) Kerala Congress leader Mons Joseph, MLA, denied the LDF's accusation that Mr. George was a party member. He said Mr. George had switched allegiance to the Kerala Congress (M), an LDF ally. The LDF countered it by publishing photographs of Mr. George attending the Kerala Congress district convention in Malappuram last month. Communist Party of India (Marxist) State committee member and LDF's candidate for Nilambur bypoll M. Swaraj said the BJP found the UDF a favourite hunting ground to poach for ideologically ambiguous leaders, and Mr. George was the latest. BJP membership Mr. George is a Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church member, an Oriental Protestant Christian denomination. He said he would soon accept the BJP's primary membership and file his nomination papers on Monday. Mr. George said BJP leader Noble Mather had invited him to join the party. He said the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena, a BJP ally widely perceived as the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam's political arm with sizable pockets of influence in the backwards class Ezhava community, had declined the Nilambur seat and suggested his name instead. (Girish Mekkatu, a BDJS leader, garnered 12,000 votes in the 2016 Assembly elections in Nilambur. In 2021, the BJP's vote share in the constituency had dwindled to 8,500 when the party pitched its candidate T.K. Ashok Kumar.)
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP national leadership fields KC(J) leader as the party's candidate in the Nilambur Assembly by-election
Ending weeks of uncertainty, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national leadership in New Delhi on Sunday (June 1, 2025) fielded Advocate Mohan George, a veteran leader of the Kerala Congress (Joseph) [KC(J)], a long-time ally of the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, as the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate in the June 19 Assembly by-election in the Nilambur constituency of Malappuram district. The BJP State leadership, which had initially termed the by-election at the fag end of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government politically inconsequential, had 'poached' Mr. George from the UDF fold at the last minute, possibly with an eye on the traditionally pro-UDF Christian settler-farmer votes, a significant electoral bloc, in the Nilambur Assembly constituency. Mr. George told reporters in Malappuram that he would accept BJP's primary membership from the party's State President, Rajiv Chandrasekhar, and submit his nomination on Monday (June 2, 2025). Mr. George was active in the UDF politics in Malappuram and North Kerala, starting as a Kerala Students Union (KSU) activist. Later, Mr. George threw in his lot with KC[J], founding chairperson P.J. Joseph, and served on the party's State committee. Mr. George, who is a member of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, an oriental protestant denomination, stated that the BJP had approached him through Advocate Noble Mathew, a BJP leader hailing from the Kottayam district, after the Bharth Dharma Jana Sena, an NDA ally widely perceived as the political arm of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (Yogam) [SNDP], a social organisation with deep roots in the backward class Ezhava community in Kerala, declined the seat. Mr. George said Girish Mekkatu, a BDJS leader who garnered 12,000 votes in the 2016 Assembly elections in Nilambur, also proposed his name. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP candidate, Advocate T.K. Ashok Kumar, won 8,595 votes.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJP to contest Nilambur bypoll, fields Advocate Mohan George
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid speculations that the party would likely not contest for the Nilambur bypoll seat, the BJP leadership has announced their candidate, former Kerala Congress Joseph Malappuram district president Advocate Mohan George. 62-year-old Mohan George is a native of Chungathara. He is a lawyer by profession, working at Nilambur and Manjeri. He is the former general secretary KSC, KYF, Mar Thoma Sabha council member and Mar Thoma college council member. He also acted as a vice president at Chungathara Mar Thoma Church, YMCA Chungathara. The party leadership chose to pick the candidate from the Christian community in an attempt to split a chunk of Christian votes. The Christian community makes up about 12 per cent of the total votes in the constituency. BJP hopes to attract community votes in the aftermath of the human-wildlife conflict and the Munambam Waqf land issue. With PV Anwar also expected to contest, Nilambur will witness a strong fight. Earlier, there were differences of opinion among BJP leaders about whether to contest or not, since one faction inside the party thought the Nilambur by-election was an imposed one. Later, the BJP decided to leave the seat to BDJS, which also didn't want to take over the seat. However, the BJP decided to field its own candidate. In the last election, BJP candidate TK Ashok Kumar won 8595 votes with a vote share of 1.9%.
