Meanwhile, the Congress leadership has dismissed Anvar’s allegations. Anvar had claimed that opposition leader VD Satheesan had sabotaged his planned meeting with AICC general secretary KC Venugopal in Kozhikode. Though the meeting didn’t happen, several sources said Venugopal had repeatedly tried to contact Anvar, who didn’t respond.

“Many senior leaders held discussions with Anvar. But his inconsistency became a problem. He was damaging the image of a UDF candidate. It was clear that his main goal was to contest from Nilambur or get a winnable seat. So, we decided to close the door for now,” said a Congress leader. “There is no way we’ll reach a truce while he continues to attack the UDF leadership.”

Still, many in the UDF and Congress feel that the episode has cost them politically. They fear the incident has harmed the Congress’s image and weakened their edge against the ruling LDF.

Both VD Satheesan and Nilambur’s Congress in-charge AP Anil Kumar are being credited for not giving in to Anvar’s pressure.

As for Anvar and his allies, the coming days are expected to be critical. He now faces his biggest political challenge yet. In the past, he always managed to find political backing whether from the Democratic Indira Congress, former KPCC president K Sudhakaran, or even the CPM.

However, within the TMC, there is now concern that as the campaign picks up, their leader’s visibility in the media and on the ground may start to fade.