The UDF vs Anvar Showdown: What’s at Stake in Nilambur

Let’s be real, no one in Nilambur was hoping for a by-election. But thanks to the political drama starring P V Anvar, here we are. Anvar, once an LDF MLA, abruptly resigned from his seat, pointing fingers at the state government without giving a clear reason.
Within days, he resurfaced under the banner of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC), a party that’s barely visible on Kerala’s political map. Now he’s floating his own ""Janakeeya Prathipaksha Prathirodha Munnani” teaming up with AAP, another party that’s practically a political mirage in the state. Whether this new front will resist anything apart from electoral irrelevance remains to be seen.
While Anvar staged his solo return at the Nilambur Taluk Office with a handful of supporters, the UDF seized the moment to mislead the public with cooked-up narratives and political theatrics. KC Venugopal arrived to inaugurate the UDF convention, launching his opening attack on the LDF and blaming them for the BJP’s win in Thrissur during the Lok Sabha elections.
But here’s the catch: KC’s own party isn’t backing that story anymore.
The KPCC’s internal inquiry into the Thrissur debacle dropped some serious truth bombs. The findings? It wasn’t the LDF that helped the BJP. It was Congress leaders themselves. The report names bigwigs like T N Prathapan, Jose Vallur, Anil Akkara, and M P Vincent, accusing them of quietly shifting votes to NDA candidate Suresh Gopi. The result? UDF lost 64,000 votes and their own candidate K Muraleedharan was pushed to third place.
Even more ironic is that Prathapan, one of the main accused, continues to sit comfortably as KPCC Working President. Calls for his resignation have gone unanswered. If there was ever a case of the pot calling the kettle saffron, this is it.
The report paints a worrying picture. These Congress leaders weren’t just indifferent, they were actively defending BJP-controlled central agencies like the ED, even as those very agencies were gunning for CPI M leaders. The political dance was so coordinated, one could mistake it for an alliance. And yet, in public, these same leaders screamed about a so-called CPI M -BJP “undercurrent”, a narrative now in shambles thanks to their own party’s inquiry.
Then came the National Highway drama.
A portion of the elevated NH-66 collapsed in Kooriyad, Malappuram, and the UDF jumped at the opportunity to blame the LDF government. VD Satheesan and KC Venugopal both accused the state of mismanagement. But reality, like always, had other plans.
The NHAI, which functions directly under the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, took full responsibility. The project director was suspended. The contractor was blacklisted. The reconstruction costs? To be covered by the concessionaire, not the state. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clearly stated that the issue lay with the Centre and the NHAI, and reassured the public that any structural issues would be dealt with professionally. No grandstanding, just facts.
And yet, instead of addressing their own credibility crisis, the UDF decided to continue throwing stones from a glass house.
Meanwhile, Anvar wasn't done. In one of his latest outbursts, he turned his fire toward UDF's VD Satheesan, branding him a “Hitler within the UDF” and accusing him of ignoring senior IUML leaders like Sadiq Ali Thangal and Kunhalikutty. According to Anvar, Satheesan didn’t even pick up Kunhalikutty’s call, a sin that Anvar believes could tilt the IUML’s mood and help his chances in Nilambur.
The bypoll might turn out to be about more than just votes, it could become a referendum on political opportunism itself. From Congress leaders allegedly aiding the BJP by backing their candidates within the alliance, to hastily formed new parties and accusations flying in all directions, this election reveals everything but sincerity when it comes to the UDF and BJP.
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