P.V. Anvar signals entry of Trinamool Congress into electoral politics in Kerala
The Hindu
P.V. Anvar predicts TMC's emergence in Kerala politics, seeks UDF alliance, criticizes CPI(M) and LDF, and proposes candidate for byelection.
P.V. Anvar, Independent legislator representing the Nilambur Assembly constituency in Malappuram district in Kerala, on Monday (January 13, 2025) signalled that West Bengal’s ruling party, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), would emerge as a decisive new player in Kerala’s electoral politics.
In a freewheeling press conference after submitting his resignation to Speaker A.N. Shamseer, Mr. Anvar said the TMC’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, MP, had assured him that the party’s top leadership would campaign for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition in the “upcoming Assembly byelection in Nilambur.”
Mr. Anvar said the TMC had kept the Congress at a distance in West Bengal because of the latter’s proximity to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]. In contrast, the UDF was the CPI(M)‘s principal political adversary in Kerala.
Mr. Anvar said he would accept TMC membership from West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee once Mr. Shamseer accepted his resignation. He said secular democratic forces disillusioned with the CPI(M) backed the TMC. Mr. Anvar said he would petition the UDF leadership to accommodate the TMC in the Opposition alliance.
Mr. Anvar, who won as Left Democratic Front (LDF) Independent from the Nilambur Assembly constituency twice and acrimoniously broke ranks with the ruling front in 2024, held out an olive branch to the UDF.
He sought to make amends with the UDF by apologising for the “unfounded corruption” allegations he raised against Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan in the Kerala Assembly at “the instance of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s political secretary and CPI(M) leader P. Sasi”.
Mr. Anvar also decried Mr. Vijayan’s alleged bid to portray the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leadership as Islamist.
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