Kochi: All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) state convenor P V Anvar on Monday announced that the party’s Kerala unit will sever ties with the national leadership and form a new political outfit.

The decision, taken at a state committee meeting, follows what Anvar described as a lack of support from the party during the recent Assembly election, where he contested as a UDF-backed independent from Beypore in Kozhikode district on April 9.

Rift with national leadership

Addressing a press conference, Anvar said the Kerala unit had built organisational presence over the past one and a half years but received no backing from the central leadership.

"We were able to form party committees at the district, Assembly constituency and even panchayat levels over the last one and a half years. However, as an all-India party, we did not receive any support from the national leadership," he said.

He said he had informed the leadership about his decision to leave the LDF and oppose Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, explaining that political conditions in Kerala required support from the UDF.

"However, they later changed their stand considering political developments in West Bengal. During the Assembly election, when I contested from Beypore, I requested a national leader for campaigning. However, they said they could not share a stage with the Congress," he said.

Anvar added that the leadership was concerned about the optics of Congress and TMC flags appearing together.

"With such politics, we cannot move forward in Kerala. The question of whom to support other than the Indian National Congress in the current national political scenario remains unanswered. Therefore, the state committee has decided to sever all ties with the party's national leadership," he said.

New party by May 15

Anvar said a new political party would be formed, with consultations already under way at the district level.

"It is a time-consuming process. A new party with a clear political policy will be formed by May 15 after discussions with district committees. The party will prioritise the interests of the state, align with the UDF, and oppose 'Pinarayism' and fascism. At the national level, it will fully support Rahul Gandhi," he said.

He also noted that the TMC had denied him its official symbol during the Assembly election.

"We had sought the party's official symbol to contest the Assembly election, but it was denied as an alliance with the Congress was not acceptable to the party," he said.

Political trajectory

Anvar, who had earlier been an LDF-backed independent MLA from Nilambur, resigned following differences with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan but lost the subsequent bypoll.

He later joined the TMC, whose Kerala unit was accepted by the UDF as an associate party, leading to his candidature from Beypore against CPM minister P A Mohammed Riyas.