Analysis | Anvar to join Congress or become UDF ally? Oppn party on ‘wait and watch’ mode

Kochi: Amid the suspense over Nilambur MLA P V Anvar’s next political move, the opposition Congress in Kerala has adopted a wait and watch strategy. Speculations are rife that Anvar, who has severed the ties with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) after winning elections in 2016 and 2021 as a CPM-backed independent,  is moving closer to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Hailing from a Congress family, Anvar joined the Left front following a rift with the party and he has been vocal in his criticism of Congress leaders while he was with the CPM. However, his recent tirades against the CPM leadership, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seem to have outgrown whatever he has said about Congress leaders in the past.

Anvar and the Congress appear to be on the same page now, with their similar political narratives. Anvar’s biggest charge against the government was the RSS influence in the police force. He has accused ADGP (law and order) and chef minister’s political secretary P Sasi of offences including gold smuggling. He has also gone to the extent of saying CM Vijayan also has shady relations with RSS and BJP leaders – the Congress favourite theme regarding political discourse in Kerala. Anvar’s allegation that the ADGP Ajith Kumar orchestrated the disruption of the Thrissur Pooram to help the BJP in the Lok Sabha election has also been amplified by the Congress. The Congress says that Anvar’s latest ‘revelations’ support the allegations it has been making for a while now.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran, with whom Anvar was close during his Congress days, has told media that he has no issue in the MLA joining back the Congress. Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan has also said that doors have not been closed before Anvar. “Currently, only Sudhakaran and Muraleedharan have made open statements on the matter. They have expressed their personal opinions. However, it may be noted that no other leader, including Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan, has disputed what they said,” a young Congress MLA told Onmanorama. He said there has been no official discussion on party forums about Anvar and the party’s strategy at the moment is to ‘wait and watch’. 

A Congress leader from Malappuram, Anvar’s home district, told Onmanorama that there is a dominant feeling within the party’s district unit that the Congress should cash in on the trouble Anvar has caused in the CPM. However, he said it is too early to say if Anvar would join Congress or not. 

There are speculations that Anvar plans to launch his own political outfit with K T Jaleel, another CPM-backed independent MLA on his side. The Thavanur MLA who joined the Left front after quitting the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has already come out supporting Anvar’s allegations against ADGP Ajith Kumar. Leaving room for speculations about his future move, he has said that he would be totally independent on October 2, Gandhi Jayanthi day when he is planning to meet the media. 

If Anvar and Jaleel come together with a new political platform, the Congress will likely welcome them to the UDF fold, as the two leaders have a high chance of retaining their seats in the upcoming elections. The Congress will likely entertain such a move, as it could spoil the CPM’s tested and proven strategy of luring Muslim voters by fielding influential leaders from the community as Left-backed independents in elections.