Congress rebels are holding the key to success, not for the UDF alone but also for the LDF in Kochi Corporation election.
As the poll campaign to the local bodies election picked up momentum, both the major political formations are closely watching the performance of as many as 15 Congress rebels who are in the fray. For, they know that the electoral performance of the Congress dissidents will make the difference between winning and losing the civic body.
It was during the 2010 election that the Congress succeeded in wresting Kochi Corporation, which was held by the LDF for 30 long years. While winning the local body, the UDF did it in an emphatic way by bagging 48 of the 74 seats, which accounted for double the LDF number in the council. The BJP could send two of its representatives to the council that time.
This time around, there are 15 rebels of which at least five or six candidates need to be taken seriously, said a senior Congress leader, after the first round of pre-poll analysis by the party.
Others are small-time players, who may not influence the poll outcome in a significant manner, he said.
The rebels may succeed to the extent of reducing the strength of the Congress in the next council. The Congress and the UDF will retain the council with a reduced majority, said a civic administrator.
On its part, the LDF leaders feel that the infighting in the Congress and the selection of its candidates would turn the tide in its favour. There was public resentment against the council, which would win votes for the front, said a Left leader. In the 2005 council, the LDF had 44 seats. It lost more than half the number of sitting seats, which were automatically reserved for women in the next election. The front would regain those seats, which would bring the desired numbers for the Left, he said.
However, the Left leader was unwilling to offer the number of seats the front was likely to get. One would get an idea of the possible number of seats after the three-day review meeting to be held in the presence of the party Central Committee member E.P. Jayarajan, where all the party area committees would present their assessments, he said.
