The United Democratic Front (UDF) sympathisers in Division 14 of the Muvattupuzha Municipality are a confused lot.
For, there seems to be two candidates contesting in the symbols of the Congress and the Kerala Congress (Joseph), with each claiming to be the official candidate of the UDF, threatening to split potential votes to the benefit of the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
“Kerala Congress (Joseph) candidate Valsa Paulose had been an active LDF worker for the last more than three decades, having worked against the UDF all along. Local Congressmen could hardly accept her as our candidate,” said N. Ramesh, executive committee member, Congress block committee, Muvattupuzha, who felt that despite efforts to persuade her to withdraw from the fray, it was unlikely.
Joice Mary Antony, the young candidate fielded by the Congress, believes that the split, if any, will be among the LDF, considering Ms. Paulose’s long LDF background. “The confusion arising from the presence of two UDF candidates is only restricted to some very small pockets. The division is a largely a Congress sympathetic one and should see me through,” said Ms. Antony.
However, a belligerent Ms. Paulose, who openly admits to having switched sides from the LDF to the Kerala Congress (Joseph) on being denied ticket, contemptuously rejects the notion of a ‘friendly contest’, making it beyond doubt that her fight is to win and nothing short.
“I am known to everyone in this division thanks to my association with the Kudumbashree for over two decades now. I have been actively associated with no less than five councillors and have always made it a point to intervene for the benefit of the public, irrespective of their political affiliations,” she said.
A senior Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader accused the Congress leadership of violating the spirit of the alliance and entering into a dubious nexus with Marxists in many divisions.
“We had foregone a seat and were allocated four seats following hours-long discussions with the top Congress leadership. Though they had expressed reservations about our candidate in Division 14, the campaign had already advanced for us to change the candidate. Then in turn violated the promise not to field any candidate on the Congress symbol,” he fumed.
Meanwhile, the LDF camp remains jubilant over the infighting in the UDF and is confident of wresting back the seat, which had traditionally backed it before losing it last time. “We already had an upper hand here, and the lack of unity in the UDF will only help our cause,” said M.A. Saheer, CPI(M) Muvattupuzha area committee member.
The UDF remains a divided house even in other local bodies in the neighbourhood, including Ward 14 in Avoli panchayat, where candidates from the Congress and the Kerala Congress (Joseph) are in the fray, whereas in a ward in Ayavana panchayat and Ayavana block division, the candidates of Jacob and Joseph factions of the Kerala Congress are slogging it out undercutting each other.
