MALAPPURAM: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will continue to lead discussions with the Kerala Congress(M) on behalf of the UDF, exploring every possible avenue to bring the party into the alliance before the assembly election declaration. Sources close to the IUML leadership said the talks have been complicated by aggressive bargaining from the LDF, which is attempting to retain KC (M) within its fold.
At the same time, the UDF has made it clear to the KC(M) leadership that it is interested in bringing the party as a whole into the alliance and is not inclined to encourage any split or accommodate any faction within the party. “Our position is that the entire party should come over. We are not interested in engineering a division merely for electoral convenience,” a source said.
An IUML senior leader told TNIE that IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty is firmly committed to bringing the KC(M) into the UDF, but parallel negotiations by the CPM have made the process politically arduous. “The IUML’s approach has been consistent-to consolidate all secular forces under the UDF umbrella. That is why Kunhalikutty Sahib is keen on KC(M) joining the front. It will not only strengthen the UDF electorally but also reinforce its secular credentials,” the leader said.
However, the IUML is wary of a partial realignment. “We do not want a faction of KC(M). We want the entire party. The LDF, meanwhile, is making multiple offers to individual leaders of KC(M) to prevent an exit. This could potentially trigger a split, which we do not want. We have conveyed this clearly to the party leadership,” the source added.
Meanwhile, a senior Congress leader cautioned that even if KC(M) were to join the UDF, securing the Pala Assembly seat for its leader Jose K Mani would be a formidable challenge. “It is primarily the IUML that is driving these negotiations. That is why Kerala Democratic Party (KDP) leader and sitting Pala MLA Mani C Kappen met P K Kunhalikutty on Wednesday,” the Congress leader said.
According to the leader, Kappen left no room for ambiguity during the meeting. “He has no objection to KC(M) joining the UDF, but he is not prepared to vacate Pala seat under any circumstances. Forcing out a sitting MLA makes little political sense. Honestly Kappen has more winning chances than Jose K Mani in Pala,” the Congress leader said.
With the standoff threatening to derail broader realignment efforts, UDF leaders are reportedly exploring alternative political arrangements to defuse the tension. One such option under consideration is offering the Thiruvambady seat to Kappen. “From the outset, the IUML was prepared to relinquish Thiruvambady - a Christian-majority constituency - to KC (M) if it joined the UDF.
If Kappen can be politically accommodated, the seat could be offered to him instead,” a source close to the IUML leadership said. However, Kunhalikutty publicly played down speculation of formal negotiations, insisting that no official talks have taken place so far. “What is being discussed now is largely rumour. No formal discussions have been held with any party,” he told the media.