Yet another straight duel between LDF and UDF on the cards in Pala

Four years may have gone by since Pala’s fierce Assembly battle, but the region’s political cauldron has never stopped simmering. And it is the Pala municipality, once a prized bastion of the United Democratic Front (UDF) before swinging Left in the last election, which remains at the centre of it.

As Kerala gears up for yet another local body elections, few contests trigger as much political adrenaline as a straight duel between the UDF and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) here.

In the 26-member municipal council elected in 2020, the LDF commands a majority with 15 members, including 10 from the Kerala Congress (M), four Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed Independents and one from the CPI.

The UDF bloc has 10, including five Congress councillors and three from the Kerala Congress led by P.J. Joseph. Adding spice to an already volatile equation here, the lone CPI(M) councillor has turned rebel now.

The Left’s fascination with Pala began with Mani C. Kappan’s “upset” triumph in the 2019 Assembly byelection, which shattered the UDF’s decades-long grip on the constituency. Determined to hold its ground, the LDF maintained its momentum even at the cost of Mr. Kappan himself. By pulling the KC(M) into its fold, the Left captured control of the municipality.

Today, that once-uneasy alliance between the CPI(M) and KC(M) has evolved into a cohesive partnership with strong grassroots chemistry. Confident and well-coordinated, the LDF believes it has cracked the local arithmetic. “The seat-sharing talks are almost over. Except for a few minor swaps, the balance remains the same,” says Lopez Mathew, LDF convener in Kottayam.

Party leaders insist that every booth committee has been re-energised to carry forward the momentum of the previous term.

The UDF, however, senses an opportunity for resurgence. Banking on what it calls “growing anti-incumbency” and Pala’s inherent anti-Left character, it is preparing to go all guns blazing.

“The LDF’s win last time was an aberration. They’ve failed to deliver and lost their unity. We’re rebuilding block by block, and this time, Pala will roar UDF again,” says Philson Mathews, UDF convener in Kottayam.

And then there is the National Democratic Alliance, hoping to play the dark horse. The Bharatiya Janata Party, buoyed by an expanding ground network, is eyeing at least five seats this time. The saffron camp’s confidence also stems from its growing rapport with the influential Catholic Church, a key component in every political calculation here.

“Conventions have already been completed in more than half the wards, and seat-sharing talks with the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena are under way. Unlike in previous elections, the party now has a strong worker base within the municipality, and we’re counting on that to work in our favour,” says Shaun George, BJP State vice-president.