'No Question of UDF Return, Kerala Congress (M) Stands Unshaken With LDF': Jose K Mani

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Congress (M) will remain firmly with the Left Democratic Front (LDF), party chairman Jose K Mani said on Wednesday, rejecting claims that the party suffered setbacks in the recent local body elections and dismissing speculation about a return to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

Speaking to reporters after attending an LDF meeting here, Jose K Mani said there was no basis to portray the election outcome, including in Pala, as a defeat for his party. He pointed out that Kerala Congress (M) had won 10 seats in the Pala municipality in the previous elections and had retained the same number this time as well. He also noted that the LDF continues to hold a lead of 2,198 votes in the Pala Assembly constituency.

In contrast, he said, the Joseph group, which projects Thodupuzha as its stronghold, managed to win only two seats in the Thodupuzha municipality. Recalling the political history of the region, Jose K Mani said that since the formation of the Thodupuzha municipality in 1980, the Joseph group has never held the chairperson’s post even once, while Kerala Congress (M) has held the position on three occasions.

Dismissing claims that the party has weakened or lost relevance, Jose K Mani said such narratives were nothing more than wishful thinking. Using a sharp metaphor, he compared the Joseph group to “a sparrow sitting on the back of a kite,” and said there was no basis for anyone to assume that Kerala Congress (M) had lost its political strength.

He maintained that, organisationally, Kerala Congress (M) had secured the votes it was entitled to in the local body elections. Referring again to the Pala Assembly constituency, he said it comprises four district panchayat divisions, and that the LDF had won three of them both in the previous elections and in the latest polls.

Rejecting media portrayals of the LDF’s performance as a “massive setback,” Jose K Mani pointed out that the Left front retained seven out of the 14 district panchayats in the state. While acknowledging that there were lapses and shortcomings, he said these would be examined in detail and corrected. “We accept the people’s verdict with humility,” he said.

Jose K Mani’s remarks came a day after IUML state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal suggested that parties within the LDF that share the UDF’s political outlook would eventually return to the Congress-led front. KPCC president Sunny Joseph had also said that the decision on returning to the UDF rested with Kerala Congress (M).