As Kottayam goes to the polls on Thursday, a clash that broke out between the Kerala Congress (M) factions a few moments before conclusion of the open campaigning in Kottayam the other day best summed up the mood of electioneering in the district over the three weeks that preceded.
While the two leading coalitions, the UDF and the LDF, are having their share of anxious moments in the second phase of the local body polls on Thursday, the election this time is primarily watched as a battle for prestige between the splinter groups of the KC(M). Regardless of their respective positions, the outcome is crucial for both considering its ramifications for the Assembly elections due next year.
For instance, the group led by Jose K. Mani has fielded candidates in as many as 424 seats, including 327 panchayat and 41 municipal wards, across the district. The Joseph faction, on the other hand, is contesting 320 seats, including 242 panchayat and 33 municipal wards.
However, the battle for the five seats in the district panchayat where the two parties have squared up to each other, besides the Pala municipality and Llam block panchayat, are the most keenly watched among these fights.
The Mani faction, emboldened by its inclusion in the Left Democratic Front (LDF), has managed to retain a large chunk of KC(M) cadre into its fold while switching sides. The Joseph faction, however, is confident of the KC(M) vote bank, which predominantly comprises Christian communities of Central Travancore, will continue to remain anti-left.
Besides these two KC(M) factions, the election becomes crucial to yet another party that traces its origin to the Kerala Congress, the Kerala Janapaksham led by P.C. George, MLA. The outfit, which commands presence in the Erattupetta-Poonjar-Erumeli belt, currently stays out of any coalition.
By embracing the Mani group into its fold, the LDF clearly eyes grabbing a share of the traditional vote base of the UDF in the rubber-heartland. The Congress, on the other hand, regards the Mani group's exit as a blessing in disguise as it presents an opportunity for the party to emerge as the biggest player in the UDF in the district level.
Even the BJP led NDA, which itself seeks to make deeper inroads into the district this time, appears to be keeping a close watch on the developments within the regional party. “The Mani group undoubtedly possess majority of the KC(M) cadres though they have lost the political significance by joining hands with the left combine,’’ said Noble Mathew, BJP district president.
The thoroughly shaken-up political scenario of the region has made the predictions on the voting behaviour unpredictable, even for political pundits.
