There is nothing about the Kerala Congress (M) harder to explain, or easier to misunderstand, than the factional squabbles within it. And when Pala looks ahead for a bypoll on September 23, the regional party that has never lost an election here, is on the verge of another round of vertical split.
That the election will be held in less than a month means another round of tough manual work for the major political coalitions after the Lok Sabha poll in April. And more than a fight between the three major political coalitions, the run-up to the byelection this time also promises to test the claims of ‘K.M. Mani's true legacy’ as raised by both factions.
While the United Democratic Front (UDF) is likely to give a ticket to the candidate nominated by the KC(M) faction led by Jose K. Mani, the coalition will look to address some points of concern before finalising its decision.
For instance, the Joseph faction has already made it clear that the party symbol would not be given to the candidate to be suggested by the rival faction. At the same time, it also expressed willingness to endorse the candidature of ‘any person' to be fielded by the UDF.
Rumours have already started doing the rounds about KC(M)’s prospective candidate for the bypoll though the KC(M) leadership, including Mr. Mani, asserts that it is too early to make such predictions. “Nisha Jose K. Mani, a member of Mani’s family in Pala and whose name was considered during the last Lok Sabha poll, stands a clear chance,” observed a senior leader.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF), meanwhile, considers the coming election as its best chance to breach the KC(M) bastion. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), an ally of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) that had been contesting from the seat since 2001, had already kick started pre-election works in the constituency, which was later withdrawn following the floods earlier this month.
While the name of Mani C. Kappan, who had unsuccessfully contested in the constituency for three times on a trot, is under active consideration of the coalition, there were also speculations of the CPI(M) taking back the seat. A final decision will come only after the LDF meeting on August 28.
The BJP, which too has a voter base in the constituency, hopes to improve on its previous best of 24,821 votes, recorded last time. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had already convened its pre-election meeting in the segment and kick started works at the booth level.
