MALAPPURAM: Ponmundam panchayat, long regarded an anomaly in Kerala’s coalition politics, has delivered a verdict that rewrites its political history.
The Congress-CPM-backed Janakeeya Munnani on Saturday swept the local body polls, winning 13 of the 18 wards and ending decades of uninterrupted Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) dominance.
The result marks the most emphatic comeback of the much-maligned ‘Sambar Munnani’ — the Congress-CPM combine — nearly three decades after its first, abortive experiment in 1996.
“It was a combined effort by the Congress and the CPM. People here were fed up with developmental stasis and communal politics. Joining hands as secular parties was the only solution,” said Congress leader Muhammed Ashraf.
“Every step was crucial. Candidates were selected carefully, keeping them close to the public. Political affiliation was kept out of the contest, which is why all candidates ran as independents. Despite pressure from the IUML leadership, we were not ready to step back,” he added.
The scale of IUML’s setback is stark. After winning 10 seats in 2010, 11 in 2015 and 12 in 2020, the party was reduced to a marginal presence this time, despite contesting 18 of the 19 wards.
The Janakeeya Munnani’s strategy of fielding candidates as independents paid off: The Congress won nine seats, the CPM three, and Team Ponmundam one.
The victory followed an extraordinary realignment, including the Congress district leadership’s decision to dissolve the Ponmundam constituency committee to facilitate the alliance with the CPM — its principal adversary at the state level.
“It was IUML versus all other political parties here. However we did not expect such a result,” admits IUML panchayat commitee vice-president Subair. “False propaganda seems to have influenced voters. We will make a strong comeback in the next election,” he added.