The Nair Service Society (NSS) had always wielded considerable influence in Kerala politics. But some experts are insisting its hold is waning as the 2026 assembly elections in the state approach.
This is an organisation that almost 68 years ago launched a violent protest, the 'Vimochana Samaram' (Liberation Struggle), which played a significant part in bringing down the first elected government in Kerala led by the Communist Party of India.
The NSS, led by its founder Mannath Padmanabhan, along with the Church, had spearheaded that protest, opposing the EMS Namboodripad-led government's radical reforms that included new agrarian reforms and a landmark Education Act. The movement led to the controversial dismissal of the government in 1959, transforming the NSS headquarters at Perunna in Changanassery, into a political power centre in the state.
The script has changed in the past three decades. NSS continued to exercise influence, but through its adopted principle of 'equidistance'—equal distance from all political parties.
By adopting such a stance, the community's bargaining power has significantly increased, its leaders have claimed.
They cite how members of the community have ascended to leadership positions across three major coalitions in Kerala—the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by Congress, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI (M), and the National Democratic Alliance, led by the BJP.
Notably, one-third of the ministers in the outgoing Left government led by Pinarayi Vijayan are Nairs, and a substantial portion of the leadership within the Congress and the BJP also hails from the community.
"The equidistance policy has further strengthened the organisation, fostering consensus among members, who are working for various political parties. The basis of this was that members could work for the political party of their choice, but politics should not be allowed in the organisation," says NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair.
The NSS headquarters in Perunna near Changanassery continues to attract an array of political leaders who seek to engage with its leadership, particularly when the election season is on.
From supporting the Congress to forming their own party
The current non-alignment shift, if it can be called that, had come after its initial political dalliance with the Indian National Congress.
A notable deviation occurred when some Congress dissidents, opposing R Sankar's leadership, proposed the idea of a regional party centred in Central Kerala. It was Mannath Padmanabhan who christened the new political entity Kerala Congress and officially launched it in Kottayam on October 9, 1964.
The Kerala Congress, which quickly became a major political force in the state, later experienced several splits and waned, though it lives on in a fragmented form.
Mannath Padmanabhan, who distanced himself from the party shortly after its inception, also compelled all the Nair community leaders to resign from the party and return to the Congress. Nevertheless, prominent Nair leader R Balakrishna Pillai remained with the Kerala Congress. His son KB Ganesh Kumar is now a minister in the Left Front government.
But the first direct political engagement of the NSS only occurred four years after the passing away of Mannath Padmanabhan in 1970. Under the aegis of the then NSS general secretary Kidangoor Gopalakrishna Pillai, the organisation established its own political party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), in 1974.
The NDP demonstrated its strength in the first Assembly elections after its formation, which was held in 1977, by winning five seats in the Assembly.
As Kerala politics transitioned to coalition politics in the early 1980s, the NDP stood by the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by the Congress. The NDP also became part of the K Karunakaran-led ministries in 1982 and 1991.
In 1996, the visit of then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao to the NSS headquarters at Perunna kicked up a controversy due to allegations that security personnel desecrated Mannam Samadhi by entering with their shoes on. In protest, the NDP pulled out of the UDF.
Immediately after pulling out of the UDF, the NSS leadership executed a crucial political manoeuvre by dissolving its political wing, the NDP. This strategic decision was intended to achieve the NSS's political independence. The NDP was dissolved when the current NSS General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair was the chairman of the party. In the same year, the NSS retaliated for the humiliation inflicted on the community by orchestrating the UDF's defeat in the assembly elections.
Non-alignment and then a leftward tilt
After this came the strategy that was talked about, one novel to Kerala—the equidistance theory.
Despite its equidistance doctrine, the NSS wielded a decisive influence on the UDF government of 2011-16. The NSS was angered when the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second largest constituent of the UDF, announced an additional ministerial post without discussing it in the coalition platform. Subsequently, the Oommen Chandy-led government had to give in to the NSS's demand that a leader from the Nair community should be brought into a key position to maintain communal balance.
In 2016, the NSS, for the first time in its history, softened its proclaimed anti-Left stance when the first Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government came to power. A cordial relationship soon developed between NSS General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The détente, however, was short-lived. The 2018 Supreme Court verdict permitting women between menarche and menopause to enter the Sabarimala hill shrine and the government's handling of the issue led the NSS to distance itself from the Left Front once again.
The NSS took to the streets to protest against the government's decision to strictly implement the court order, which was interpreted as 'a second phase of the liberation struggle'. As the protests gained momentum, the government was compelled to reconsider its stance.
Subsequently, the Left faced significant setbacks in the 2019 parliamentary elections. Interestingly, for the first time in Kerala's political history, a government returned to power in 2021 with Pinarayi Vijayan becoming the CM again. This was despite the NSS's public call to defeat the Left Front in the elections.
Nevertheless, the LDF government sought reconciliation with the NSS. Justifying the government's stance, it appears that the NSS is once again inclined to support the Left Front. A sign of the thawing relations was the NSS accepting an invitation from the LDF government to participate in the Global Ayyappa Meet held in Pampa in September 2025. The programme, organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board, which oversees temples in South and Central Kerala, was aimed at discussing the future development of the Sabarimala shrine.
Explaining the organisation's decision to attend the meet, Sukumaran Nair said the government has revised its stance and now prioritises the protection of rituals and customs in Sabarimala.
"The Sabarimala pilgrimage has been peaceful for the past few years. The government has realised its mistake. Moreover, the government has also initiated steps for the further development of Sabarimala," Nair said.
At the same time, the organisation remains deeply dissatisfied with the political stance and performance of the Congress-led UDF. Although an array of Nair leaders, such as AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in Assembly VD Satheesan, Congress Working Committee members Ramesh Chennithala, Shashi Tharoor and former Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, hold key positions within the Congress, the NSS leadership maintains a good relationship only with Chennithala.
In the upcoming election, even as the leadership advises its members to vote according to their conscience, the NSS is silently supporting the formation of a third Pinarayi Vijayan government.
Political observer A Jayasankar, though, believes this is of little consequence as the NSS has lost its hold over its community members.
"The NSS has lost its relevance because community members have their own political stance, with a majority leaning towards the BJP. They support the BJP in the election and, in certain critical situations, take a position to thwart the Left from gaining power," he said.
If true, it will be a big jolt to the leadership of an organisation that has always been wooed by the political leaders in Kerala. Has the era when it brought down governments and swung elections ended? May 4 will let us know.