THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Jamaat-e-Islami and P V Anvar canvassing for Malappuram DCC president V S Joy’s candidature publicly and KPCC general secretary Aryadan Shoukath refusing to withdraw his claim, the Congress party has started looking for a third candidate for Nilambur bypoll to salvage the situation.

Anvar had met senior Congress leaders the other day and asserted that he would support only Joy and any other candidate would upset Congress’ chances in Nilambur. This has irked a large section of top leadership in the Congress and IUML. But what seems to be hurting Joy’s chances more is Jamaat-e-Islami’s open backing of Joy.

This has irked traditional Muslim organisations like Kerala Samsthana Jamiyyathul Ulama, Kerala Samsthana Jamiyyathul Ulama (AP Sunnis) and Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen. “How can Congress allow an extremist group like Jamaat-e-Islami to dictate terms?’’ asked a Samastha leader.

The IUML state leadership is also not happy with the way Anvar is interfering in the candidate selection of Congress though he is not even part of UDF.

“Only Anvar has to be blamed for this state of affairs,” a top League leader told TNIE on condition of anonymity. “ Anvar definitely has some votes in the constituency. And the UDF is ready to listen to his opinion. But he has destroyed all the political edge the UDF had in this by-election by openly announcing his support for Joy,” he said.