Nilambur bypoll: P.V. Anvar kicks up fresh row by refusing to embrace UDF candidate Shoukath on poll day

P.V. Anvar | Photo Credit: K K Mustafah

P.V. Anvar, All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Kerala State convener who is contesting the byelection in Nilambur as an Independent, kicked up a row by refusing to embrace United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Aryadan Shoukath when they met at a polling station at Nilambur on Thursday (June 19, 2025) morning.

Mr. Shoukath walked up to Mr. Anvar and shook hands with him when they met. However, Mr. Anvar warned Mr. Shoukath not to embrace him. “Because I feared it will be a Dhritarashtra embrace,” Mr. Anvar told the media later referring to devastating hugging of Dhritarashtra in the Mahabharata.

Mr. Anvar clarified why he refused to embrace and why he warned Mr. Shoukath not to embrace him. “He (Mr. Shoukath) is someone who embraces everyone. I don’t want that. I don’t want that Dhritarashtra embrace.”

Mr. Anvar also described Mr. Shoukath as “an actor.”

“You see what happened when two actors met,” he said referring to Mr. Shoukath embracing Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate M. Swaraj when they met.

Addressing the media earlier, Mr. Anvar said he would garner more than 75,000 votes. He said he would wrest 35% to 40% votes from the LDF and 25% from the UDF. He blamed both UDF and LDF candidates for ignoring the real issues of Nilambur and its people.

He said Mr. Shoukath was still in his “filmy world” and that he would have to “continue storywriting” after the elections. “You cannot hoodwink the people of Nilambur with your fashion parade,” he said referring to Mr. Shoukath.

Mr. Anvar said he was preparing to walk up to Thiruvananthapuram along with his followers to take oath after victory in the byelection.

Published - June 19, 2025 11:22 am IST