Riding on the shoulders of the Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)] led by Jose K. Mani, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) may have managed a major turnaround of sorts in Central Travancore for the moment. The rumblings within the coalition following the regional party's inclusion, however, is just getting shriller.
Amidst the continuing jubilation over its historic win at the Pala municipality, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Pala MLA Mani C. Kappan on Thursday sprang a surprise by publicly contesting the claims of the KC(M) group regarding its `big win' in Pala. According to him, the LDF had been unable to match the performance it had staged without the KC(M) during the Assembly election here last year.
“The KC(M) has lost the Ramapuram and Mutholi panchayats from its possession, while the LDF has not won the Melukavu, Munnilav and Thalappalam panchayats either. The Mani faction, which had 17 seats in Pala municipality, got only 10 seats this time,” Mr. Kappan pointed out, while also reiterating his claim over the Pala Assembly seat.
Contrary to this, the LDF had taken a clear lead in nine out of the 13 panchayats and one municipality in the Pala constituency during the Assembly bypolls, he said.
The NCP, a long-standing ally of the CPI(M)-led coalition, had to make some major adjustments in its position within the LDF, especially in the Central Travancore region following the entry of KC(M). Against the 26 seats it had contested during the previous local body polls in Kottayam, the party was allotted just seven this time.
The impressive performance of the Mani faction in the local body polls in places including the Pala municipality is expected to help the outfit consolidate its position further within the LDF, while also raising its stakes over the Pala Assembly seat. Besides Pala, speculations are also rife about the KC(M) staking a claim over Kanjirappally, a seat currently allotted to the Communist Party of India (CPI).
Meanwhile, KC(M) leader Jose K. Mani sought to dispel the rumours over his inclusion in the State Cabinet. Confirming that he would soon resign from the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Mani attributed the delay in his resignation to a legal advice in connection with the dispute over the party symbol ‘two leaves.’
