Pension Storm and Welfare Party alliance: Congress Cornered in Nilambur

Nilambur has been a political hotspot from the very beginning of the by-election season. At the centre of it all is the Congress party, which started its campaign by cozying up to Anvar. But the move backfired. Not only did the strategy fail, Anvar soon turned into a political headache for the Congress by declaring himself an independent candidate. What began as an alliance of convenience quickly turned into a classic case of miscalculation, one that continues to haunt the UDF camp.
But things only got murkier when the UDF orchestrated what many call a masterclass in backdoor dealing: appointing a Sangh Parivar- affiliated lawyer as the standing counsel for the Congress- led Vazhikkadavu panchayat. At the time, the BJP hadn’t even decided on a candidate. Eventually, they fielded one, from none other than Congress’s own ally, Kerala Congress (Joseph). Coincidence? Hardly.
Then came K C Venugopal’s now-infamous remark at a UDF convention in Nilambur, where he referred to the state’s social welfare pensions as “bribery.” The reaction was instant and widespread. His comment sparked outrage across Nilambur, reverberating through all sections of society and even within the UDF’s own ranks. Now desperate to contain the damage, Congress has come up with a plan, a public meeting of welfare pension recipients. The twist? The guest of honour is none other than K C Venugopal himself, the man who just days earlier dismissed their pensions as bribes.
Meanwhile, CPI M State Secretary M V Govindan has demanded a statement from national Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi regarding the party’s alliance with the Welfare Party, which is backed by Jamaat- -e-Islami. Even Samastha, a key Muslim organisation in Kerala, has openly criticised the UDF for aligning with such groups just to win an election. According to Samastha, Congress has not just compromised, but outright abandoned its secular credentials in its race for a single assembly seat.
As panic begins to take hold, Congress seems to have found a new target: Nilambur Ayisha. A cultural icon and lifelong progressive voice, Ayisha publicly expressed her support for CPI M candidate M Swaraj. This rattled the UDF camp so deeply that they turned to coordinated cyberbullying, online abuse laced with the term “thalla,” a derogatory word aimed at older women. The goal: demean her, silence her.
M V Govindan responded strongly, reminding people that Ayisha was performing socialist -themed dramas at a time when Muslim women were not even allowed to step out of their homes freely. She faced resistance from her own community and wider society, yet she never backed down. He said the current attacks pale in comparison to what she has overcome in the past, and will not succeed in silencing her now either.
Ayisha, true to her spirit, gave a powerful reply:
“I am a Thallachi. Let them call me what they want. No matter what happens, I will vote for LDF. I have nothing but contempt for those who stoop to this level. They’re even using young people to insult a woman. Bullets couldn’t break me, this won’t either.”
In Nilambur, the Congress seems to be running a campaign not based on principles, policies, or performance, but on desperate alliances, targeted abuse, and U -turns. Whether the people reward this strategy or reject it outright will be known on June 23.