Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Congress (Mani) (KC(M)), a key ally of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), on Wednesday firmly dismissed speculation about returning to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) following the recent local body election results.
Addressing reporters, KC(M) Chairman Jose K Mani rejected suggestions of a possible shift, stating, “We are with the LDF. We stand firm with them,” after attending an LDF meeting in Thiruvananthapuram.
KC(M), which had previously been an ally of the UDF, moved to the LDF under Jose K Mani’s leadership following the death of his father and party stalwart K M Mani. Mani’s comments come amid widespread speculation that the faction might return to the UDF, eyeing prospects ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The UDF’s gains in the recent local body elections have sparked debate among its allies about potentially bringing back KC(M). While some leaders have supported the move, others, including Kerala Congress (Joseph), have opposed it. Party founder P J Joseph dismissed such remarks by some UDF leaders as not serious.
Acknowledging KC(M)’s setbacks in the local body elections, Jose K Mani said the party would introspect and rectify its performance. “The party's organisational votes and seats were intact. We retained influence in our strong pockets, but generally, there was a flow of votes to the UDF across Kerala this time,” he noted.
He also rejected media portrayals of the LDF’s performance as a “massive debacle,” highlighting that the LDF retained seven of the 14 district panchayats. “There were lapses and setbacks… That will be introspected in depth. We accept the people’s verdict politely,” he added.
Mani’s remarks came a day after Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal suggested that parties in the LDF with UDF-leaning ideology could return to the Congress-led front. KPCC president Sunny Joseph stated that it was up to KC(M) to decide whether to return to the UDF.
The local body elections saw major gains for the UDF, which won four of the six municipal corporations, while the LDF retained Kozhikode, and the BJP-led NDA captured Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. In district panchayats, the UDF won seven of 14, with the LDF securing the remaining seven
With PTI inputs