JOIN USCongress shows unusual unity in Kerala as Thrikkakkara bypoll nears
The Thrikkakkara by-election slated for May 31 is more crucial for the Congress, than any other party, in Kerala. It could be for this reason that the party has seen unusual harmony in the state.
The by-election for the Thrikkakkara seat was necessitated after the death of Congress MLA P T Thomas in December 2021. It has been a Congress stronghold since its formation in 2011.
For the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is planning to test the waters in Kerala through this by-poll, any gains in the election will be a bonus. If they lose, they could easily justify citing it has been a Congress seat, and that emotional factors, too, worked in favour of Congress; the Opposition party has fielded Thomas’s wife, Uma, as the party candidate.
Mainly, the Congress is trying to cash in on the popularity of deceased MLA P T Thomas, as well as communal equations.
Retaining this seat is pivotal for Congress, so as to confirm that the setbacks Congress had suffered in various states — Punjab being the latest — did not have a cascading effect in Kerala.
AAP’s plans to contest the polls in tie-up with Kitex group-backed Twenty20 forum — it has a considerable influence in the region — also poses a threat to the Congress.
Although Congress had often witnessed infight over candidate selection, this time state party’s top leaders unanimously selected Uma Thomas. “It is an unusual unity that the Congress is now witnessing. All the leaders, who used to play spoilsport, seem to have learnt lessons from the setback the party has been facing,” a source within the party said.
On the other hand, the CPM must win the seat for a different reason. For the ruling party, a defeat could be dubbed as the people’s mandate against the government, especially since there have been widespread protests against its flagship semi-high-speed rail project.
By naming Dr Jo Joseph as the CPM candidate for the seat, the CPM could be highlighting the party’s progressive approach of bringing professionals to the forefront. Rival camps, however, have been campaigning that Dr Joseph is a nominee of the Church; he has been working in a hospital run by the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, and because Church representatives, too, openly hailed him.
Thrikkakkara constituency has a considerable Christian population, which has generally favoured Congress.
Although, the constituency’s Muslim population historically have favoured the Congress, the anti-Muslim campaigns in the state, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s attempts to build stronger rapport with the community leaders might lead to some changes in favour of the CPM.