Thiruvananthapuram, May 25 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday announced the schedule for byelections to five Assembly constituencies across four states, including the Nilambur constituency in Kerala.

The bypoll in Nilambur will be held on June 19, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 23. The official gazette notification for the bypolls will be issued on May 26.

The by-election in Nilambur was necessitated by the resignation of sitting MLA P.V. Anvar, who had won the seat in the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections as an LDF-backed Independent candidate.

In 2024, Anvar had a major fallout with the CPI(M) and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, following a series of serious allegations he raised against senior police officers, including M.R. Ajithkumar and Sujith Das, as well as P.K. Sasi, the Chief Minister's political secretary.

Anvar had submitted complaints to the Chief Minister, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the response from the state leadership.

Frustrated with the alleged inaction, he later joined the Trinamool Congress and formally resigned from his MLA post in January this year.

With the seat now vacant, political parties have already begun preparations for the upcoming bypoll.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) has taken an early lead, commencing groundwork in the Nilambur constituency. Recent electoral trends have shown mixed outcomes for both major coalitions in Kerala.

While the UDF and LDF (Left Democratic Front) retained their respective seats in the Palakkad and Chelakkara bypolls in 2024, the UDF had earlier scored a significant win in the 2022 Thrikkakkara bypoll, where Uma Thomas won with a record majority.

Nilambur witnessed a shifting of loyalties after the resignation of two-time LDF-backed Independent MLA P.V. Anvar.

His exit has triggered a high-stakes battle, and the UDF is aiming to reclaim lost ground, while the LDF is fighting to retain its hold.

Kerala has witnessed several key bypolls in recent years, including those held in 2019 in Pala, Manjeshwar, Ernakulam, Vattiyoorkavu, Konni, and Aroor.

In addition to Nilambur, by-elections will be held on June 19 in four other Assembly constituencies across the country. These are Kadi and Visavadar in Gujarat, Ludhiana West in Punjab, and Kaliganj in West Bengal.

Key Dates: Gazette Notification on May 26; Last Date for Nominations is June 2; Scrutiny of Nominations: June 3; Last Date for Withdrawal: June 5; Polling Date: June 19; Counting of Votes: June 23, and the Completion of Election Process: June 25.

/IANS