UDF captures Nilambur: LDF loses sitting seat: Shoukath with 11,077 vote majority; PV Anvar proves might with 19,970 votes

MALAPPURAM: The victory in Nilambur after nine years through the by-election has given political strength to the UDF. This is the first time that the LDF has lost a sitting seat in the by-elections held after the current government came to power. Earlier, the UDF had won three seats. The CPM retained Chelakkara but the loss of the sitting seat in Nilambur was a major blow. The result will give energy to the UDF in the upcoming assembly elections and a warning to the LDF.

Aryadan Shoukath won by a landslide of 11,077 votes. A total of 1,75,989 votes were polled. Shoukath got 77,737 votes, LDF candidate M Swaraj got 66,660 votes and independent candidate PV Anvar got 19,970 votes. NDA candidate Mohan George was relegated to fourth place with 8,648 votes. SDPI got 2,075 votes. NOTA has 630 votes. Aryadan Shoukath, who lost to Left Independent candidate PV Anvar by 11,504 votes in 2016, won by almost the same number of votes this time. The by-election was necessitated after PV Anvar resigned after having a tussle with the CPM. Anvar had won the constituency in 2021 as well, which was monopolized by former minister and Shoukath's father Aryadan Mohammed for three decades. PV Anvar defeated VV Prakash by 2,700 votes that time. This time, Anvar, who contested as an independent against all three fronts, lost, but showed his strength.

Anvar steals front votes

Votes polled: 1,75,989

UDF: 44.17%

LDF: 37.88%

PV Anvar: 11.23%

NDA: 4.91%

Decrease from 2021 votes

LDF: 9.01%

UDF: 1.17%

NDA gained 148 votes

Swaraj loses his own ward too

1. UDF has entered even the LDF's strong areas. UDF got the lead in six out of seven panchayats and in Nilambur municipality. It trailed by 118 votes in Karulai.
2. There was a huge setback in CPM-ruled Nilambur municipality, Amarambalam and Pothukal. In Nilambur, where LDF was expecting a majority of 2,000 votes, UDF came ahead by 3,967 votes. Shoukath's majority was Amarambalam-704, Pothukal-307, Vazhikkadavu- 1,829, Moothedam- 2,067, Edakkara- 1,170, Chungathara - 1,287.
3. Out of nineteen rounds of counting, M Swaraj was able to lead in only three rounds. Swaraj also trailed in his own ward in Pothukal. Shoukath was ahead from the first minute. In the last election, LDF was leading in four panchayats and Nilambur municipality.

"The people's anger against the Pinarayi government was reflected in the election."

- Aryadan Shoukath

"It is not a verdict against the government. We will analyze it carefully. We will include what needs to be included."

- M Swaraj

"I won the LDF vote against Pinarayism"

- P.V. Anvar