As voters of Pala Assembly constituency in Kerala exercise their franchise on September 23, they will be not only electing a candidate, but also deciding the fate of a political party—the much split, much merged Kerala Congress.
Kerala Congress (UDF) candidate Jose Tom is taking on NCP's Mani C. Kappan (LDF), who has lost three times from the constituency. BJP candidate N. Hari is also a presence there. The open campaigning for the byelection ended on Friday. The counting will be on September 27.
Kerala Congress, founded in 1964, is generally known as a party of the Catholic community in Kerala. Also known as the “Rubber party” as most of its supporters are engaged in rubber cultivation, the Kerala Congress had been an important player in the state politics ever since. It had been part of both the fronts—the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF—which have ruled the state.
Pala, comprising predominantly Catholics and upper caste Hindus, has been the base of the party. Till now, it has had only one representative ever since its formation in 1967, K.M. Mani, whose death has necessitated the byelection. Till now, there had never been any doubt about the outcome of the bypolls in this constituency.
However, with the death of Mani the Kerala Congress, which as per Mani's own dictum “grows as it splits and splits as it grows'', is in a disarray. On one side is Jose K. Mani, Mani's son, and on the other side is P.J. Joseph, the senior most in the party. As both are fighting for one-upmanship, the result is crucial for the future of the party.
While Joseph scuttled Jose's demand to make his wife Nisha the candidate from Pala, Jose succeeded in ensuring that his another aide gets the candidature. As a counter, Joseph ensured that the candidate does not get the party symbol.
“We are facing a very difficult scenario here. But we will survive, thanks to the aggressive work being carried out by the Congress party,'' said a second-rung leader from the Kerala Congress.
There are rumours that Jose's group is going slow on campaign as he does not want another contender to win from his “home turf” and that Joseph wants to prove a point by ensuring the defeat of the his opponent's candidate.
“If Jose Tom loses, both factions are to be blamed,'' he said. According to this senior leader, both the factions seem to be forgetting the fact that the future of the party is very much dependent on the poll results.
The local Kerala Congress leaders also worry about the possibility of the party being absorbed by the Congress party. “If the UDF candidate wins this time, it is only because of the Congress party. And that party knows it well,'' said a planter who was once active in Kerala Congress. According to him, the active role being played by senior Congress leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy in Pala election is a pointer to that.
The rationale behind this theory is the fear in the Congress that Kerala Congress can easily join any other front—LDF or NDA—as they are not very strict about its ideological moorings.
Congress party is determined to see that the UDF candidate wins as it is essential to maintain the upper hand it has gained in the Lok Sabha elections. “There is no doubt about the victory of UDF candidate,'' said opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
Going the history of the constituency, his optimism is all likely to come true. But regardless of the outcome, the future of the Kerala Congress does not look very bright in the post-Mani era.