Kochi: In an intriguing turn of events, the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, consisting of the Congress party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has passed a resolution to contest the upcoming general elections in May 2024 "together," albeit with a caveat of "as far as possible." However, in Kerala's Puthupally assembly seat, the two parties find themselves in direct competition. Puthupally, a constituency held by Congress veteran Oommen Chandy for an astonishing 53 years spanning 12 terms, is set to witness bypolls on September 5 following Chandy's passing in July this year.
Despite their show of unity at the I.N.D.I.A. Mumbai summit, the Congress and CPI(M) are now rivals in the Puthupally bypoll. The Congress has fielded Chandy's son, Youth Congress leader Chandy Oommen, as its candidate, while the CPI(M) has nominated Jaick C Thomas, a central committee member of the party's youth wing, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). On September 2, CPM State Secretary MV Govindan expressed that the United Democratic Front (UDF) had lost confidence in securing an easy win. Govindan emphasized that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had a chance to bring about change and end Congress' dominance in the Puthupally constituency.
"The Congress campaigned on emotional appeal, whereas the LDF campaigned on development. It worked to our advantage. People will vote for us to ensure our success," Govindan stated, disregarding survey results as politically motivated exercises. He also criticized Congress for failing to criticize the BJP during the campaign. The ruling CPM is focusing on a development-centered narrative, highlighting that Puthuppally has missed out on the development that the rest of Kerala has witnessed. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself has been campaigning for Jaick C Thomas in what is perceived as a prestige battle. During a public meeting in Puthapally earlier this week, CM Vijayan listed the "achievements" of his party.
It's worth noting that CPM candidate Jaick Thomas has contested the Assembly seat twice before, in 2016 and 2021. While he lost both times to Oommen Chandy, he finished just 10,000 votes behind the Congress veteran in 2021, marking Chandy's narrowest victory margin in three decades. Local media reports suggest that the CPM may have already conceded defeat against the Congress candidate, who capitalizes on his father's legacy. The Communist party has alleged a "secret deal" between the Bhartiya Janata Party and the Congress to defeat CPM's Jaick C Thomas.
While the CPM and Congress seek to show unity at the national level, the two parties, historically characterized by ideological conflict, are engaged in a contentious battle at the state level. This underscores that, despite their united goal of "overthrowing" the Modi regime in the next Lok Sabha elections, anti-Modi parties lack substantial support for one another, explaining the inclusion of the caveat "as far as possible" in the Friday resolution.
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