'People expected secular stance'; election results are a setback for Pinarayism': PV Anvar reacts

MALAPPURAM: Former MLA and Trinamool Congress leader PV Anvar reacted to the local body election results. He said that the local body election results are a setback for Pinarayism. Anvar added that even though Pinarayi Vijayan's son-in-law, Minister Muhammad Riyas, led from the front, the party lost Kozhikode and the government lost its right to continue in power.

'People expected a secular stance from Pinarayi. That is not what happened. What Pinarayi did was challenge those with secular stances. UDF can win more than a hundred seats in 2026. The working class and secular people abandoned LDF. Trinamool Congress has not contested anywhere in the local body elections. It has been supporting UDF,' said PV Anvar.

The local body election results released yesterday have dealt a heavy blow to the LDF. The CPM assesses that the Sabarimala gold looting has been a setback and that there has been anti-government sentiment. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan responded yesterday that the Left Front did not achieve the expected results in the local body elections and that the reasons will be examined in detail and corrections will be made.