Congress leaders have said that the decision of the Kerala Congress (M) to sever ties with the United Democratic Front (UDF) will have no impact in Kozhikode district.
‘Suffered enough’
On the other hand, they feel that this political outcome will strengthen the party at the grassroots level. “We had suffered enough for coalition politics. The Congress party had to sacrifice its traditional seats to the KC(M) where it has no base. That party has no electoral strength even in the Christian settler farmers’ belt especially in the hill regions of Thiruvambady, Koorachundu, Maruthonga and Perambra, ” T. Siddique, former general secretary, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), said.
Perambra seat
Mr. Siddique, who unsuccessfully contested on the Congress ticket from Kunnamangalam Assembly segment, said that the decision in fact would help the Congress party invigorate in rural areas. “Had the Congress party contested the Perambra seat, the UDF would have captured the seat,” he said.
[ The Perambra seat was won by CPI(M) leader T.P. Ramakrishnan by a margin of 4, 101 votes]. Many of the KC(M) workers had also deserted that party and had joined another faction of the Kerala Congress, the Janadhipathya Kerala Congress led by K. Francis George, he said.
‘Undue recognition’
Several leaders who wanted to remain anonymous said that the Congress party had given ‘undue recognition’ to the KC(M) by giving them seats in local bodies and in the Assembly elections.
The district leaders had been urging the Congress State leadership, including KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, not to give the Perambra seat to the KC(M).
Now, the opportunity had come to rectify these mistakes. The Congress leadership should counter the argument of KC(M) leader K.M. Mani that the Congress pulled the rug from under the feet of KC(M) candidates, they said.
However, KPCC general secretary P.M. Suresh, who had also unsuccessfully contested from Kozhikode North constituency, felt that the KC(M)- UDF break-up would numerically weaken the Congress-led coalition. “But that party has taken a decision to end its 35-year-old ties with the UDF,” he said.
KC(M)’s claim
KC (M) State secretariat member P.A. Jaiprakash said that the Congress leaders had made concerted efforts to weaken the party in the district. “The Congress is almost nothing in the hill regions of Kozhikode. It would not have won a seat in Kooderanji, Koorachundu , Maruthongara, Kodencherry, Thiruvambady and Chakkittappara grama pancahayats without our help, ” he said.
