Nilambur (Kerala) [India], June 3 (ANI): Stressing that the Nilambur by-election is the semi-final before the 2026 Assembly polls, Kerala LoP and Congress MLA VD Satheesan said on Tuesday that they will emerge victorious, which will mark the beginning of the United Democratic Front's (UDF) return to the state.

Speaking to ANI, Satheesan said, 'This is a political contest, a direct fight between the UDF and the LDF. It is the semi-final leading up to the 2026 Assembly elections, and we are confident of winning by a significant margin. We see this as an opportunity to hold the Pinarayi government accountable, a government that has been in power for the past nine years.'

'Our role is to advocate for the people, we are their voice, cross-examining the government and the Chief Minister. We will emerge victorious, and this will mark the beginning of the UDF's strong return in the 2026 elections,' Satheesan asserted.

The Nilambur by-polls are scheduled to be held on June 19, and the counting is scheduled for June 23.

The election for the Nilambur seat was necessitated after the resignation of PV Anvar, an LDF-backed MLA, who stepped down in January after making several allegations against the Left government in the state, including claims of RSS influence in the home department and the 'framing' of Muslim youth in false cases.

Anvar had claimed that he would not be contesting the bypolls, supporting the Congress candidate instead. However, he filed his nomination under the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) banner on Monday.

Anvar has been the Nilambur MLA since 2016, backed by the LDF in both the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections.

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Michael George also filed his nomination for the Nilambur by-election on Monday.

The main contest in the constituency is between United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Aryadan Shoukath and the LDF's M Swaraj.

The byelection has political significance as it is a precursor to next year's state assembly election and will test the popularity of the current government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (ANI)