Former MLA Anil Akkara to Contest Panchayat Elections

Thrissur: Following K. S. Sabarinadhan in Thiruvananthapuram, the Congress has fielded another MLA in the local body elections. Anil Akkara, former Vadakancherry MLA and AICC member, is contesting for Congress in Adat Grama Panchayat. Anil is contesting from the 15th ward of his home Panchayat.

In the last election, the Congress candidate won the 15th ward with a majority of 14 votes. The ward sub-committee had recommended Anil Akkara’s name as a candidate.

Anil Akkara was a Grama Panchayat member from 2000-2010. He served as Vice President from 2000-2003 and President from 2003-2010. During his tenure, Adat Panchayat received national and state awards for being the best Panchayat. It was then that Anil Akkara emerged as a new star in Congress politics.

In his debut election in 2000, Anil won the 7th ward with a majority of 400 votes, and in 2005, he won the 11th ward with a majority of 285 votes. In the District Panchayat, Anil’s majority was 14,000 votes.

Elected to the District Panchayat in 2010, Anil Akkara served as the chairman of the Development Standing Committee for two and a half years. He also served as the acting District Panchayat President for one month. In 2016, Anil, who was a candidate in the Vadakancherry constituency, was elected to the Legislative Assembly with 45 votes. In the 2021 election, he was defeated by 11,000 votes. Following this, Anil Akkara announced that he would not contest in the Legislative Assembly elections again.

Anil Akkara was the first to raise allegations related to the Life Mission scam. His revelations led to major controversies and discussions both inside and outside the Legislative Assembly.