Kerala polls: Will K M Mani’s son Jose K Mani be able to regain father’s legacy?

As one moves around Pala town in Kottayam district in central Kerala, the name of K M Mani is prominently seen in most parts of the town as the political stalwart of Kerala represented the constituency in the Kerala Assembly for 54 years in a row till his death in 2019.

With infights in Kerala Congress (Mani) playing the spoilsport for the party candidate Jose Tom in the 2019 Assembly bypolls, Mani's son and former MP Jose K Mani himself is in the fray this time to regain the father's legacy.

Last year Kerala Congress (M) witnessed a split and the faction led by Jose K Mani ended its long-term relationship with the Congress-led UDF and joined the LDF.

Read: Jose K Mani's remark on 'Love Jihad' creates political row in Kerala

Now Jose K Mani is contesting from Pala against sitting MLA Mani C Kappan, who recently left the NCP, an ally of the CPM-led LDF in Kerala, and joined the UDF mainly as the LDF preferred to give the Pala seat to Jose K Mani.

The LDF hopes to make inroads into the Christian vote banks of central Kerala which are influenced by the Kerala Congress. Impressed over the performance of the party in the region in the recent local body polls, the LDF gave 12 seats to the Jose K Mani faction for the Assembly polls.

While Jose K Mani faction is highlighting K M Mani's legacy and emotional connect of the party with the region, Mani C Kappan is playing the same card by stating that 'Pala is his heart' apart from the development and welfare acts he initiated. He is learnt to have extended maximum assistance to the people, especially the convents in the region, during the lockdown and increased his personal rapport.

Paulose, an ordinary voter of the Pala, said that it was a 50:50 situation. Jose K Mani switching over to the LDF had not gone down well with many in Pala. The legacy of K M Mani may help Jose K Mani while the people of Pala were not attached to Jose K Mani as they were towards K M Mani, he said.

On the other hand, a section of voters has a soft corner towards Mani C Kappan as the LDF denied the seat to him even after he won the Pala seat after 50 years for the LDF. Mani C Kappan lost to K M Mani by only 4,700 votes in 2016.

Political analysts feel this election would be crucial for the Kerala Congress factions led by Jose K Mani and the rival faction led by former minister P J Joseph, which is still with the UDF. Whichever faction that performs well would claim to be the original Kerala Congress, said political analyst C A Josukutty.