On Sunday, TMC MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan joined his campaign. While Pathan backed Anvar, the LDF’s star campaigner was CM Vijayan, who addressed rallies across three panchayats Sunday. Vijayan has been camping in Nilambur since Friday, with the party campaign being directly overseen by CPI(M) general secretary M.V. Govindan.
The UDF, meanwhile, received a boost as senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed multiple rallies Sunday.
“This bypoll can be seen as a curtain-raiser ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. The UDF and LDF are treating it as such. The BJP doesn’t have much relevance here. The larger question is whether Kerala will see a third Pinarayi Vijayan government or a UDF return,” said political analyst C.R. Neelakandan. The CPI(M)-led front, looking for a historic third term in 2026, is hoping that a Nilambur win will boost its prospects. For the UDF, out of power since 2016, a victory in Nilambur could be a shot in the arm.
Also Read: Nilambur bypoll: How Anvar, once Kerala’s richest MLA, is adding twist to crucial LDF-UDF contest
UDF looks to reclaim old stronghold
Nilambur in northern Malappuram is traditionally a UDF stronghold, with late Congress leader and former Minister Aryadan Mohammed representing the seat from 1987 to 2016.
The LDF’s breakthrough here came in 2016 after it joined hands with Anvar.
Now, the Congress has fielded Mohammed’s son, Aryadan Shoukath—a screenwriter and former local body representative—while LDF is banking on M. Swaraj, a native of Nilambur and former MLA from Thripunithura. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate is Advocate Mohan George, a former Kerala Congress leader who joined the party this month.
Campaigning for Swaraj, Vijayan said LDF came to power in 2016 and was re-elected in 2021 because people wanted the government to continue. Entering its tenth year, he said, this was the right time to look back at what LDF had achieved. “We thought projects like the National Highway would never take off in Kerala. Now it’s close to completion. Investment perception has shifted too—from being investment-unfriendly to topping national indices,” he said in Nilambur’s Pothukal panchayat Sunday.
M. Swaraj echoed Vijayan’s view, saying a Left win in Nilambur would lead to continuation of developmental work in the state. “The entire constituency is signalling change. If a period in Kerala’s history is to be called its golden age, it’s the last nine years,” he said.
Swaraj added that over 60 lakh beneficiaries are receiving Rs 1,600 in monthly welfare pension, and credited the government for timely textbook distribution and improvements in education and healthcare. “If the Left wins here, it will generate the political energy we need. Even if the current Assembly has limited time left, we can at least initiate some of the work for Nilambur. And in 2026, we’ll build on that when we return to power,” he said.
Campaigning for Shoukath, Priyanka Gandhi said Nilambur should elect a government that acts responsibly. She criticised the state government over the ongoing ASHA workers’ protest and the worsening man-animal conflict. “Shoukath, like his father Aryadan Mohammed, has done commendable work at the local level. If he’s elected, and with me as your MP, we will work together to bring change,” she said.
Over hundreds of ASHA workers have been staging protests outside the state Secretariat since February for a hike in honorarium and pension benefits, with multiple discussions failing to arrive at a solution. Some protestors also campaigned against the LDF in Nilambur Friday without supporting any party.
Shoukath, in his speech, promised commitment, “If you elect me, I will always be here, not leave halfway. You’ll never have to bow your head before anyone.”
A Congress functionary from Malappuram told ThePrint that internal party disputes led to the party’s loss in the last two Assembly polls, claiming it was not the case this time.
“This time, all Congress workers and even the League are taking this as a pride issue to beat Pinarayi Vijayan and Anvar,” the functionary said, adding that Shoukath has always been active in the constituency and enjoys much local support.
Welfare pension, animal attacks & ‘real’ secular force
Located nearly 40 km away from Malappuram town, Nilambur is known for its abundant teak forests surrounding the Chaliyar river. The locality is also part of the 0.4 km elephant corridor that connects Wayanad and Tamil Nadu’s Gudalur.
According to RTI data accessed by activist K. Govindan Nampoothiry, 197 people died in elephant attacks in Kerala between 2016-17 and January 2025. In the same period, 53 were killed by wild boars and 10 by tigers. Since January this year, at least five deaths have been reported as a result of the man-animal conflict.
Priyanka Gandhi blamed the LDF government for failing to tackle the issue, while the state government has repeatedly pointed fingers at the Centre for refusing to amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 to allow for controlled culling in human-inhabited areas.
Vijayan said the government had demanded the Centre amend the Act. “It’s a law that prevents any action, even when wild animals enter human habitats. Though the Congress brought it, now the BJP refuses to amend it,” he said.
The chief minister promised the state would not back down from this demand and would continue to exert pressure. While he had sought a special package to deal with the issue, he said the Centre had not cooperated—but the state would still do everything within its capacity.
The Congress, however, accused the state of shifting blame and failing to act. “I just met a family who lost someone to a tiger. This is the seventh such visit I’ve made. The government can’t keep hiding behind regulations. It’s their responsibility to act,” Priyanka said.
The welfare pension issue also flared up following Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal’s 3 June remark that the LDF “deliberately withheld pension arrears and released them during elections” to influence voters. Priyanka echoed this sentiment, saying that people’s rights like pensions should not be politicised.
Vijayan said Sunday the Congress had always opposed welfare schemes. “This is not charity. For many, it’s a right. In 1980, it was the E.K. Nayanar government that introduced a Rs 45 pension for agricultural labourers above 60. Karunakaran opposed it then. It was our government that raised it from Rs 45 to Rs 60, not the Congress,” he said.
The LDF is also attacking the UDF over support from the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Welfare Party of India, calling it a communal force. Vijayan alleged that the UDF was accepting support from “anywhere it could” to win. “It’s an organisation distanced by all major Muslim groups in Kerala. Even the IUML knows that. We don’t need sectarian groups. We are counting on secular forces,” he said.
The UDF hit back, saying the CPI(M) was raising the Jamaat-e-Islami issue now to cover up governance failures. “When the group supported the LDF, there were no complaints. Now they bring up this controversy,” said Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan at a press conference in Nilambur.
Anvar effect in Nilambur
After resigning from the Nilambur seat in January with a declaration of “open war” against the LDF government, P.V. Anvar decided to contest the byelection independently when his efforts to join the UDF failed.
The former MLA had initially extended support to the UDF candidate and even helped the front wrest control of the Chungathara panchayat from the LDF following his resignation.
However, the Congress-led alliance distanced itself from him after he publicly criticised its candidate, Aryadan Shoukath, and the Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan. Despite the setback, Anvar chose to enter the fray as an independent candidate.
Saji Manjakadambil, a close associate of Anvar, told ThePrint that their camp is confident of victory and of attracting votes beyond politics. “We have formed committees in all booths and covered every place in the campaign. We are confident of victory with a huge margin from the public who want to dethrone the Pinarayi Vijayan government,” Saji said.
Political analyst C.R. Neelakandan noted that Nilambur, traditionally a UDF stronghold, swung to the Left largely due to Anvar’s influence. However, he added that Anvar’s relevance has diminished in the absence of party backing. “If anyone wants Pinarayi to come to power or doesn’t want that, they won’t vote for Anvar,” he said, suggesting that Anvar could still play spoiler by pulling UDF votes and giving the LDF an edge.
However, the Congress functionary quoted earlier said Anvar doesn’t have enough people for even campaign work in all the booth
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: How Nilambur bypoll in Kerala has turned into a secularism showdown between LDF & UDF
