Aryadan Shoukath to reclaim Nilambur for Congress; High Command makes official announcement

MALAPPURAM: Congress high command has announced the candidate for Nilambur by-election. Former minister Aryadan Mohammed's son Aryadan Shoukath is the candidate for the Nilambur constituency. KPCC leadership had given only Shoukath's name to the AICC. The high command approved this and made the official announcement. AICC general secretary KC Venugopal issued a statement in this regard. DCC president VS Joy's name was also mentioned, but in the end, Shoukath was selected.

This is the second time Shoukath is seeking election in the constituency. In 2016, Shoukath had contested from his father Aryadan Mohammed's sitting seat and lost to PV Anwar in his maiden constituency. Giving up the monopoly constituency had come as a big shock to the Congress camp. The Congress leadership has entrusted Shoukath with the heavy responsibility of regaining the constituency Congress lost through him.

Sitting MLA PV Anvar had resigned from his MLA post after he fell out with the Left Front. Anvar, who was then preparing to join the UDF, made the first demand before the Congress leadership that Shoukath should not be made the candidate and that VS Joy should be fielded. Anvar had said that if Joy is the candidate, he will win with a huge majority.

However, Aryadan Shoukath has been declared the Congress candidate without giving in to Anvar's pressure tactics. State leaders spoke to VS Joy regarding the candidacy. Joy has assured that he will provide full support to the party candidate. Joy had the support of Opposition Leader VD Satheesan but it is assessed that the recent change in the KPCC leadership has been a setback for Joy. The fact that Joy still has a chance to contest was also being considered. There is also a strong demand in the party that Joy, who is an excellent DCC president, should coordinate the elections.

Aryadan Shoukath had the upper hand in the discussions of the state leaders as well. Shoukath was supported by the KPCC reorganization based on communal considerations. The leadership calculates that with Sunny Joseph, a Christian, as the president, making Shoukath the candidate will not raise any objections from that faction.

Meanwhile, Anvar has made it clear that he will not accept making Aryadan Shoukath the candidate. "I didn't resign to make anyone an MLA. If aspirants want to contest, there will be more than a hundred vacant seats in ten months," Anvar said.