Troubles for the United Democratic Front (UDF), rocked by a prolonged battle between the rival factions of the Kerala Congress (M), is getting a whole lot worse with the reconciliation attempts once again hitting a dead end.
Amidst the mounting pressure from the Congress to fall in line on the Kottayam district panchayat issue, a defiant KC(M) faction led by Jose K. Mani has further upped the ante by asking the coalition to execute the seat-sharing agreement in various local bodies. As part of it, a leadership meeting of the party, convened here the other day, demanded the UDF State leadership to help take over the presidential post due to it in various local bodies.
Upholding the party’s commitment towards adhering to the seat-sharing deals worked out by the coalition, the meeting noted that it had already surrendered the presidential posts in the Changanassery municipality and the Kanjirappally block panchayat in accordance with existing agreements.
The move is widely regarded as a response to the Congress, which publicly demanded the Mani faction to hand over the president’s post in the Kottayam district panchayat to the P.J. Joseph faction. At a meeting of the District Congress Committee, the party leadership had acknowledged the claims by the Joseph faction over the post and asserted its role as a leading partner in the coalition to implement the deal.
The DCC’s statement in turn drew a sharp reaction from the Jose faction, which warned against any attempt to wrest the post through intimidation.
At the same time, a reconciliation talk convened by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala in Thiruvananthapuram too broke down with both sides sticking to their respective stances. The failure in reaching a consensus, despite interventions by senior UDF leaders, including P.K. Kunhalikutty and Oommen Chandy, has put the UDF further on the back foot.
“Acknowledging the post-sharing agreement as claimed by the Joseph faction is indeed a clear indication that the UDF and the Congress are keen on keeping them on board. The rival faction, which of late showed defiance after making some concessions, appears to be weighing all options. In any case, the coalition is running out of time as the local body elections are fast approaching,” said a senior Congress leader.
Meanwhile, the election to the post of president in Changanassery municipality is slated to be held on June 12. The election follows the resignation of Lalichan Kunniparambal from the post in March this year. Sajan Francis, a Joseph loyalist, is expected to contest as the UDF candidate.
