Malappuram: In a significant blow to the CPM, senior party leader and former MLA M. Swaraj suffered a major defeat in the Nilambur by-election on Monday, marking his second consecutive loss at the ballot box. Swaraj was defeated by UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath, who reclaimed the seat for the Congress-led front with a lead of over 11,000 votes.

Swaraj, who was pitted against Shoukath, an independent candidate and TMC state convener P.V. Anvar, and NDA’s Mohan George, secured over 65,000 votes. Despite a high-profile grassroots campaign led by ministers, MLAs, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself, the Left’s expectations of a 10,000-vote victory margin were dashed.

This defeat comes after Swaraj’s narrow loss in the 2021 Assembly election from Tripunithura, where he was edged out by Congress veteran K. Babu by just 992 votes. Swaraj had previously defeated Babu in the same constituency in 2016 with a margin of 4,467 votes.

A former state secretary of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Swaraj has long been viewed as a rising star within the CPM. His candidature in Nilambur was part of the LDF’s broader strategy to elevate younger leaders to frontline roles ahead of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.

However, the outcome in Nilambur is now being seen as a serious setback for the party’s plans, raising questions about the resonance of its leadership choices and campaign strategy with the electorate.