The decision by the Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)] led by Jose K. Mani to align with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has meant that an alliance is no longer as unthinkable as once it made out to be. But the move, it seems, has also left many a question unanswered.
For instance, it is still unclear that where Mr. Mani would be inducted into the LDF before the upcoming local body election.
According to sources, the performance of the KC(M) during the upcoming local body elections would have a great bearing on the regional party’s power to bargain within the LDF and hence, the first major challenge before Mr. Mani was to show his strength at the grassroots level, at least in Kottayam.
Workers’ confidence
Similarly, restoring the confidence of workers at the grassroots in him also appear to be a major challenge for the party as the pro-UDF workers in different local bodies across the region have already begun quitting the party to join the rival faction led by P.J. Joseph
Though there are reports that Mr. Mani, who quit the Rajya Sabha seat he had won as a UDF candidate, will get the same berth from the LDF, no formal announcement has been made in this regard.
With the KC(B) and the KC (Skaria Thomas) already in its fold, the Left coalition expects to make considerable advance in the Central Travancore region during the upcoming Assembly elections.
While the LDF counts on the association with the Mani group will help consolidate the Christian voter in its favour, the Mani group hopes to maintain its dominance in as many as 12 seats with the Left support.
Arithmetical majority
“Though no overarching trend is discernible, there may be an arithmetical majority when the KC(M) joins hands with the LDF. But whether the mandate of the Left parties and the Kerala Congress, which predominantly has a UDF voter base, can be allied without contradiction remains to be seen,” observed a senior Congress leader.
Of these, finding a way to get the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the CPI agree on the Pala and Kanjirappally seats respectively, will likely prove to be the biggest challenge.
Despite asserting that the party was yet to initiate discussions regarding the seats, Mr. Mani, however, has made it clear time and again that Pala always remained pivotal to its political project. The LDF too, it is learnt to have responded positively to this particular demand.
But at the same time, it is learnt to have not given any such assurances with regard to Kanjirappally, the sitting seat of N. Nayaraj MLA, a close associate of Mr. Mani.
