Nilambur: Kerala Assembly gets back the 'Aryadan' vibe with Shoukath's easy win

For Aryadan Shoukath, the newly elected Congress MLA in the Kerala Assembly, the ‘real’ election will come in May 2026 – and if gets re-elected from the Nilambur constituency. But ever the realist, Shoukath will not be thinking that too far ahead – because he has every reason to savour the handsome win over the CPM’s M. Swaraj from the June 19 election.

For one, this election was never expected to come about, and did so only after P. V. Anvar resigned the seat in a fit of pique and which set up the by-election. Until that moment it did seem that Shoukath’s chances of making a political comeback – after an earlier loss to Anvar – would take a long time coming.

But in the fluid state of Kerala politics, Anvar’s an ex-MLA now and Shoukath gets back to being one. (It wasn't easy because at one point in time before his name was announced, V. S. Joy, the Malapurram district congress president, had a good chance of sealing it.)

It is fitting that an ‘Aryadan’ makes a return to the Kerala Assembly.

Shoukath’s father, the late Aryadan Muhammed, was one of the most influential leaders within the Congress, with an acceptance among voters that went beyond party lines. Muhammed was never shy of voicing opinions in that direct, folksy tone that he perfected.

A lot of that can be seen in Shoukath, known as much for being a politician as he is for making Malayalam movies that throw a harsh light on the realities of life in Kerala. And he pursued making those movies even when many felt it would hurt his chances of winning elections.

For a long time, it did seem as if the sceptics were right. That Nilambur’s voters were more taken up with the strident notes P. V. Anvar would use rather than anything Shoukath could come up with.

Now, courtesy of Anvar, Shoukath is back, right into the center of a changing political landscape within Kerala. And in a Congress party that has put together a team finally capable of winning an Assembly election in May 2026.

Aryadan Shoukath is back – and that can only be a good thing…