With the Election Commission of India rejecting P.V. Anvar’s nomination as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate for the Nilambur Assembly by-election, speculation is rife about his next move. While his nomination as a TMC candidate was invalidated, his second nomination as an independent candidate was accepted by the returning officer.
TMC is now recognised as a state party after it lost its national party status in 2023. As a result, it has to go through additional procedural requirements when contesting elections outside its home state of West Bengal. This meant that Anvar’s nomination as a TMC candidate required 10 proposers; a mandatory condition for state parties contesting outside their stronghold. Anvar failed to meet this requirement.
Additionally, the party had to inform the Election Commission about its intent to contest in Kerala within three days of receiving the election notification. However, the party missed the deadline, submitting the notice five days later and declared Anvar’s candidacy only on June 1. Anvar attributed the rejection of his TMC nomination to technical issues related to the party’s registration in Kerala.
Interestingly, unlike the UDF, LDF, and NDA candidates, Anvar is yet to launch an active campaign in Nilambur. This has fuelled speculation that the rejection of his TMC nomination may have been a calculated move. Despite the UDF leadership publicly declaring the “Anvar chapter” closed, whispers of backchannel talk with him persist.
Adding to the intrigue, on the morning of June 4, Anvar held a press conference where he listed a number of “cheatings” by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the past nine years. Notably, Anvar was once among the most vocal supporters of the CM’s policies and promises before their fallout.
June 5 is the last date for withdrawing nomination papers and suspense lingers over whether Anvar will spring more surprises in the hours ahead. Notably, the dominant mood in the constituency is that the by-election will be a bipolar contest between the UDF and the LDF. However, if Anvar remains in the fray, the votes he garners could prove decisive in determining the outcome.
