KOCHI: In the run-up to the assembly election, the Congress in Ernakulam district finds itself navigating a delicate and increasingly complicated candidate selection exercise, with internal discussions intensifying across several constituencies.
Party sources say the immediate trigger for the churn is the effort to find a suitable constituency for District Congress president Mohammed Shiyas — a move that many leaders believe has unsettled the traditional political and community balance in the district. “There is a feeling that the leadership’s insistence to accommodate Shiyas has complicated the process,” a senior Congress leader said. “The moment you disturb long-standing community equations, it’ll have ripple effects in several constituencies.”
One of the proposals under discussion is fielding Shiyas in Kochi. However, the idea has reportedly met with strong reservations from sections of the Latin Catholic leadership. For decades, Kochi has largely been represented by leaders from the community, and church leaders and community representatives have informally conveyed their concerns.
According to party estimates, Kochi has nearly one lakh Christian voters, a substantial portion of them from the Latin Catholic community, while the Muslim population is estimated between 30,000–40,000. “In Kochi, the community traditionally expects representation.
Any deviation from that practice can lead to unease,” a senior functionary said. Within the party, some leaders believe a consensus candidate from the Latin Catholic community could help maintain stability in Kochi. The name of senior leader Henry Austin has been mentioned in internal discussions.
Meanwhile, the IUML has rejected a proposal to swap Kochi with Kalamassery. As the Kochi debate continues, another option under consideration is accommodating Shiyas in Perumbavoor, replacing sitting MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly.
The constituency has a sizeable Muslim population and has previously elected Muslim leaders such as T H Musthafa. Some leaders say that replacing sitting MLAs in select constituencies could help the party address both generational aspirations and local political realities. A district leader. said, “If the party does not allow changes, emerging leaders will never get space.” The conversation around candidate selection is also active in Tripunithura, where the Congress is keen to avoid a repeat of the 2016 electoral arithmetic.
Party leaders warn that fielding an Ezhava candidate there could split votes and indirectly benefit the BJP.
The concern stems from the 2016 assembly election, when BJP candidate Thuravoor Viswambharan secured nearly 30,000 votes, a factor many Congress leaders believe contributed to the defeat of K Babu against CPM’s M Swaraj by around 4,000 votes. “With a local BJP candidate like P R Shivasankar likely to enter the fray, they may try to consolidate Nair votes,” a Congress source said.
In that context, the name of Raju P Nair — general secretary of the Ernakulam District Congress Committee and a KPCC media panelist — has also figured in internal discussions.