Shelna Nishad, 36, former LDF candidate from Aluva, dies

Shelna Nishad, who contested the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections from the Aluva constituency as an independent candidate backed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), died at a private hospital in Kochi on Sunday, November 19. She was recuperating after undergoing a bone marrow transplant for cancer treatment, but her condition reportedly worsened over the past few days. She was 36 years old.An architect by profession, Shelna headed the firm SN Architects in Ernakulam and was part of the team that designed the Kochi Metro Rail stations. She was the daughter of MV Hussain and Safia of Thrissur’s Chemmanur and was married to Nishad Ali, the son of K Mohammed Ali, a six-time Congress MLA from Aluva. The Aluva Assembly constituency has been a United Democratic Front (UDF) bastion since 1980, except in the 2006 elections.Though Mohammed Ali withdrew from his political career in 2006 after losing the Assembly election that year, he extended his support to his daughter-in-law’s candidature as an LDF Independent in 2021, which paved the way for criticism from Congress party circles. The local cadre of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had also initially resisted the decision to field Shelna, though the party eventually resolved their concerns. Shelna, however, lost the election to incumbent Congress MLA Anwar Sadath.Shelna was an alumnus of the College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram (CET) and had worked as a lecturer at a private college before starting her architecture firm. Her burial was held at 10 am on Monday at the Town Juma Masjid in Aluva.As Telangana, Mizoram, MP, Chhattisgarh, & Rajasthan go to the polls, TNM and Newslaundry are joining forces to bring you the best on-ground reportage and analysis. Click here to support our election fund.