P.V. Anvar resigns as Nilambur MLA in Kerala

P.V. Anvar resigns as Independent legislator in Kerala, sparking speculation of a possible byelection in Nilambur.

P.V. Anvar, Independent legislator from Nilambur in Kerala, has resigned. He met Kerala Speaker A.N. Shamseer and handed over his resignation letter on Monday (January 13, 2025).

Mr. Anvar decided to step down from the post days after meeting Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in Kolkata. Later, in a social media post, Mr. Anvar said he would coordinate the party’s activities in Kerala. He stopped short of saying whether or not he had accepted TMC membership, possibly to dodge any legal action under the anti-defection law, including the loss of his Assembly seat. 

Mr. Anvar had sought a safe harbour in TMC after the DMK in Tamil Nadu rebuffed his attempt to ally with Tamil Nadu’s ruling party after he acrimoniously broke ranks with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala. 

Mr. Anvar’s resignation triggered speculation about a possible byelection in the Nilambur Assembly constituency, which the opposing fronts in Kerala appeared keen to avoid. 

Mr. Anvar’s often sharply zigzagging political career commenced as a leader of the Kerala Students Union (KSU). He joined Congress and parted ways with the party in 2005, then allied himself with the late K. Karunakararan, a breakaway Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran). Later, he allied with the LDF and won twice from Nilambur as the ruling front’s independent candidate.

Mr. Anvar emerged as a zealous supporter of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Assembly and outside. However, the relationship soured after Mr. Anvar became a sharp critic of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and the State Police’s top brass. 

He accused certain officers at the helm of law enforcers of corruption and criminality. Mr Anvar also accused them of having an anti-minority mindset. He charged them with conspiring to stigmatise residents of Malappuram district as gold smugglers and hawala racketeers. He also accused Mr. Vijayan of leading an ivory tower existence far removed from the travails of the common folk.