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The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has announced senior leader and former MLA M Swaraj as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate for the upcoming Nilambur bye-election. The decision was taken at the CPI(M) state secretariat meeting. In this constituency, CPI(M) rarely fields its own candidates and instead supports an independent candidate.
Announcing the candidature, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said the secretariat has chosen Swaraj, a member of the party’s state secretariat, to lead a strong political fight in the constituency.
“Nilambur is a politically significant constituency. This bye-election will be a precursor to a major advance in the upcoming Assembly elections. The battle will be intense, and it will be primarily between the LDF and the UDF,” Govindan said. The LDF's election convention will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the evening of June 1.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had earlier named Aryadan Shoukath, a Congress leader and son of Aryadan Muhammed, who represented the Nilambur Assembly constituency for many years.
The bye-poll was necessitated by the resignation of independent MLA PV Anvar, who was elected as a CPI(M)-supported independent MLA. In January, he resigned after he parted ways with CPI(M).
The bye-election is scheduled for June 19, and the result will be declared on June 23. According to the Election Commission of India notification, the last date to file the nominations is June 2.