Nilambur by-polls: Swaraj joins hands with Madani's PDP, 'Welfare' shade for UDF

MALAPPURAM: With the Welfare party‘s unflinching support, UDF is eyeing for consolidation of Muslim votes in poll-bound Nilambur. LDF, through its association with PDP, hopes to dent UDF’s Muslim consolidation in the constituency.

The Welfare Party and Jamaat-e-Islami have only about 2,000 votes in the constituency. However, the UDF estimates the organizational skills and strategies to help create public sentiment among the Muslim community. The party is also expecting the support of the media under Jamaat-e-Islami to be beneficial for the win.

The Welfare Party's grassroots movements were highly beneficial for UDF to script a massive victory in Palakkad. Amidst criticism for its association with the PDP, the communist party reiterated calling the PDP a persecuted faction and asserted that the PDP and Jamaat-e-Islami were not the same.

The Welfare Party is targeting an undeclared alliance with the UDF in Malabar in the upcoming local body elections. Despite strong CPM allegations of UDF joining hands with religious extremists, the congress party and its affiliates deem the CPM allegations not enough to tarnish the UDF's chances in a Muslim-dominated Nilambur. The Muslim league meanwhile is treading a fine line not siding with anyone on the issue.

To the barrage of allegations about siding with religious extremists, Congress is retaliating by reminding CPM about PDP leader Abdul Nasar Ma'dani’s past. CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan termed Jamaat-e-Islami as a fringe religious group while CPM leader M Swaraj defended Abdul Nasar Ma'dani for his transformation from a religious extremist to a secular one.

“When the Welfare Party supported the CPM, it was secular and when they decided to support UDF, they became a communal party. This is hypocrisy of the highest order” said opposition leader V D Satheesan.