With the crucial Lok Sabha elections less than a year away, smaller constituents of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala have started staking claim for more seats.
The Kerala Congress (Mani) a Christian-dominated party with considerable influence in the central Travancore regions, has fired the first salvo, demanding one more seat in addition to its bastion, Kottayam.
The party's chairman, Jose K Mani, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, told the media that he would raise the demand at the next meeting of the LDF leadership. Party sources said that apart from Kottayam, which is currently represented by Thomas Chazhikadan in the Lok Sabha, the party is eyeing Pathanamthitta or Idukki, which has a sizeable Christian population. Both seats are currently held by the Congress.
The Mani faction leaders believe that their party stands a good chance in the two seats. They feel that if Rahul Gandhi opts out of the Wayanad constituency, there would be no strong wave in favour of the Congress-led UDF in the state.
In 2019, Rahul's decision to contest from Wayanad helped the Congress sweep the elections, with the UDF winning 19 of the 20 seats. The CPM managed to win just the Alappuzha constituency.
Political observers say that if Rahul decides to contest from Wayanad again, it would again prove beneficial to the Congress-led UDF, especially when he is emerging as a strong contender to Narendra Modi at the Centre as part of the India Alliance. It may be recalled a senior leader of the CPI which is the second biggest constituent of LDF, had recently requested Rahul not to contest from Wayanad.
Many also see the Kerala Congress (M) move as a pressure tactic against the backdrop of reports that the Congress alliance in Kerala is quite keen to bring back K M Mani's party into the UDF fold. Mani group which was traditionally with the Congress-led UDF for several decades, crossed over to the LDF in October 2020.
In the assembly elections held six months later, the party contested 12 seats. It has five MLAs including water resources minister Roshy Augustine.
The CPM-led LDF, on the other hand, is aware of the political and electoral significance of the Kerala Congress (M), particularly in central Kerala. The LDF performed well in central Kerala in the 2021 assembly polls, thanks to the Kerala Congress (M). The umbrella alliance stitched by the LDF had ensured a historic back-to-back victory for an incumbent government in the state for the first time after 1970. Therefore, the LDF is well aware of the electoral benefits of having Kerala Congress (M) on its side.
Moreover, after the rout in 2019, the LDF is desperate to increase its tally in the Lok Sabha which is also important to ward off the threat to its national party status.
