Kozhikode: Former MLA PV Anvar reiterated his support for DCC chief VS Joy‘s candidature in the upcoming bypoll at Nilambur. Responding to KPCC general secretary Aryadan Shoukath‘s criticism against Anvar’s failure to address man-animal conflicts in the constituency, he said it could be due to Shoukath’s lack of awareness about issues. “Someone would have misled him. His visits are limited here. He doesn’t know the reality,” said Anvar. Shoukath is also eyeing the vacant seat.
When asked why he was supporting Joy, Anvar said he only said what he felt. “A court would ask if the prisoner facing a death sentence had any last wish. A person sentenced to death has this right. I just used that right and said it would be good if Joy is considered,” he said, adding that Joy who hailed from hilly areas was himself a victim of wild animal attack.
Anvar said CPM will not win a single panchayat in the next local body polls in Nilambur. “When I became the MLA in 2016, LDF had four members. Now Congress is in that situation in the current council. That is because I visited over 5,000 houses and sought votes. LDF will get just two seats in the next local body polls,” he said.
Meanwhile, VS Joy inaugurated the protest organized by Nilambur and Edakkara block Congress committees against Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill in the morning.
When Anvar held a news conference in Thiruvananthapuram to announce his resignation as MLA, he offered unconditional support to UDF in Nilambur bypoll. He then put the party in a quandary by proposing Joy as the Congress candidate. He also slighted Shoukath by terming him a writer and that he should not be troubled, thus hinting that Shoukath was not active in politics.
