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| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Anthoor, a place that found frequent mention in Theyyam songs once, is now at the centre of an intense political contest. The Left Democratic Front (LDF), which has held sway over the municipality since it was carved out of Taliparamba in 2015, is facing renewed claims of political suppression from rival fronts ahead of the local body elections.
Anthoor voted overwhelmingly for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]-led front in both previous municipal elections, electing LDF candidates in all the 28 wards in 2015 and 2020. Fourteen councillors were elected unopposed in 2015, though the number dropped to six in the last election. Rival parties see a growing desire for change among voters even as they accuse the CPI(M) of obstructing their political activity.
“The CPI(M) does not allow other parties to work freely. Our supporters face constant threats,” said Congress Mayyil mandalam president Prajosh Poyyil. He said it took the party 45 years to open a office which began functioning recently. “We operated out of schoolrooms and borrowed spaces. We still don’t have our own building but we are hopeful of securing land soon,” he added.
He said fear persists among Congress sympathisers following the murder of former mandalam president V. Dasan in 1995, allegedly by CPI(M) workers after he attempted to field Congress candidates in Anthoor. “People are scared of supporting us openly, fearing threats and social isolation,” he said. According to him, the biggest challenge is not nominating candidates but mobilising workers for the party on the ground.
Threats alleged
Mr. Poyyil accused the CPI(M) of targeting Opposition supporters through persuasion, pressure on family members, and in some cases direct threats. However, he said the new office in Bakkalam has sparked enthusiasm among workers. The UDF fielded 12 candidates in 2015 and 18 in 2020 and plans to contest all 29 seats this year. Candidate announcements, however, are expected just ahead of the final date of nomination due to uncertainty over ground-level support.
The BJP, which fielded three candidates in 2015 and 12 in 2020, plans to contest 13 wards this time. BJP Mayyil mandalam general secretary K.C. Deepu echoed the concerns of the UDF saying that the party has been unable to operate an office due to threats.
“Crude bombs were hurled at the houses of our members in Morazha and C.H. Nagar. Despite this, we fielded candidates last time,” he said. He claimed that the BJP’s vote share has steadily risen but alleged that delimitation was used to weaken the party’s expanding base. While both the UDF and the BJP lack major local issues to highlight in the municipality, they plan to campaign on allegations of corruption, unemployment, poor roads and broader State-level issues such as Sabarimala gold theft case.
Incumbent municipal chairperson and CPI(M) leader P. Mukundan dismissed the allegations saying that the region, rooted in agriculture, has deep ideological ties to communism.
“People trust us because we have delivered. In the past one decade, we have brought about improvements in in all sectors — agriculture, animal husbandry, roads, waste management, health, education, environment, women and child welfare,” he said.
Initiatives undertaken
He cited initiatives such as subsidies in farming and livestock sectors, improved agriculture production, protection of paddy fields from encroachment, expansion of waste management system, a ₹14-crore new municipal building at Dharmasala, encouraging small entrepreneurship, new employment projects, health facilities, development of Anthoor stadium, a women’s gymnasium and completion of 8 of 10 major roads. Many initiatives have received laurels from the State and Union governments, he added.
“It is democracy and all political parties are free to function here. If they cannot make inroads, it is their organisational weakness,” he said. The LDF will contest 29 seats with CPI(M) fielding 28 candidates and one general seat allotted to the CPI.
Published – November 16, 2025 10:33 am IST
