Kozhikode, April 30 Days before the results are out, the battle for Kerala's Beypore has officially entered its theatrical phase.
Just when state politics seemed content with sharp speeches and sharper allegations, UDF-backed candidate P.V. Anvar has upped the stakes by offering to shave his head, don earrings, and march through Kozhikode if his CPI-M rival, state Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, who is the son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, wins the election.
"From Kidson Corner to SM Street, all the way to the railway station, I will walk with my shaved head and with earrings, if I lose," said Anvar.
The wager might sound like a scene from a political satire, but Anvar insists it reflects his confidence.
Riyas on Thursday said he would get more than 82,000 votes, which he secured at the 2021 polls, and this was what irked Anvar, who said Riyas would not get more than 65,000 votes and it was he who would win the polls when the votes are counted on Monday.
But beneath the humour lies a sharper contest. Anvar, once part of the Left ecosystem, has turned bitterly critical after his fallout with Chief Minister Vijayan.
His allegations range from “nepotism” to excessive centralisation of power, even coining phrases that sound more like stand-up punch lines than policy critiques.
Two-time Left-supported independent legislator Anvar, after parting ways with the ruling dispensation, resigned from the seat in 2025.
After initially saying he would not contest, he jumped into the fray as an independent candidate, but the Congress candidate won the polls.
Last year, he joined ranks with the Congress-led UDF, contested under their banner and is now waiting for the result.
Behind the earrings and exaggerated bravado lies a serious electoral test.
Can Anvar puncture the Left’s dominance in this coastal stronghold, or will his challenge end up as just another colourful footnote in Kerala’s political folklore?
Either way, come May 4, Beypore may deliver more than just a result - it might just deliver a spectacle.
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