In Kerala constituency that elected same man for 13 terms, battle for a fresh face

While the LDF faces no numerical dangers in the Assembly, a defeat in Pala could reinforce fears within the coalition that its political graph is on the decline.

The constituency of Pala in Kerala’s Kottayam district, since its inception in 1965, has known only one MLA: Karingozhakkal Mani Mani, better known as Mani sir. A lawyer by profession, Mani began his politics with the Congress, but when his ambitions clashed with others in the party, he left it to form the Kerala Congress with a few of his colleagues. For his first electoral experience, he chose Pala, his hometown and a little-known village then enveloped by rubber plantations. Mani was able to strike a chord with the voters there in 1965 who sent him to the state Assembly with a majority of 9,585 votes.

For the next five decades, over 13 elections, Mani did not face a defeat in Pala, even as he went about splitting and sewing up his party multiple times. On April 9 this year, Pala fell vacant after Mani passed away due to a respiratory-related illness.

The battle to choose a new MLA in Pala kick started after the Election Commission announced the by-poll to be conducted on September 23. The last date for filing nominations is September 4. All three political coalitions, the UDF, LDF and the NDA have begun feverish discussions to nominate official candidates.

The situation is particularly grim within the UDF camp, as the Kerala Congress (M), claimant to the seat, is wrangling with a fierce factional feud. After the death of Mani, the question of who should lead the party has been up in the air. The feud is chiefly between Jose K Mani, Mani’s son, and PJ Joseph, a senior leader of the party. Both factions are adamant that their nominees be declared the candidate in the seat. For the Congress, so far reluctant to interfere in the internal machinations of its ally, a feud is the last thing it wants. Being the first by poll since the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress-led UDF is raring to prove that its sweep in the general elections was no flash in the pan.

The CPM-led LDF is likely to set aside the seat for its ally NCP which has been a contender in the last few elections. Mani C Kappan, who fought unsuccessfully in 2006, 2011 and 2016, is a potential candidate for the NCP. While the LDF faces no numerical dangers in the Assembly, a defeat in Pala could reinforce fears within the coalition that its political graph is on the decline. The government led by Pinarayi Vijayan has had to battle consecutive years of floods and landslides, raging protests over Sabarimala followed by the drubbing in the parliamentary elections. The LDF could win just one of the 20 seats in the state.

The BJP, on its part, will announce the NDA candidate on August 30 after getting the nod from the central leadership. The saffron party surprised everyone in the 2016 elections by polling over 24,000 votes, three times its vote-share in the 2011 elections. After the entry of the party led by Independent MLA PC George into the NDA, the BJP hopes to put up a better performance this time. PC Thomas, a former NDA MP from Muvattupuzha and an influential Christian leader in Kottayam, could be fielded as the NDA candidate.

The counting of votes in Pala will take place on September 27.

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