KOTTAYAM: As the new KPCC team, led by president Sunny Joseph, returns to Kerala after winding up its maiden meeting with high command, it is expected that the predominant focus of the new leadership will be to strengthen its base in Central Kerala.
The AICC leadership is of the view that restoring its lost prominence in Central Kerala will be crucial in returning to power in Kerala after a decade-long gap. Earlier, election strategist Sunil Kanagolu had also submitted a report highlighting UDF’s vulnerabilities in the region and recommended strategies to bolster both the party and the coalition.
The Central Kerala districts, stretching from Pathanamthitta to Thrissur, are traditionally considered as strongholds of the UDF. However, UDF had struggled significantly in these districts for the past few Assembly elections.
In the previous assembly election, UDF’s performance in the region was lackluster, with notable success only in Ernakulam. While the UDF faired relatively well in Kottayam district, its results were disappointing in Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Thrissur districts.
Collectively, these districts account for 55 Assembly seats, yet the UDF managed to secure only 16 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, a further decline from the 20 seats it won in 2016. When the UDF came to power last time in 2011, the coalition had secured 30 seats from these districts.
Taking these facts into account, senior leaders have already shared the opinion on the importance of strengthening the party in Central Kerala. “Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki districts are the potential areas for the UDF.
However, while UDF failed to secure a single seat in Pathanamthitta, we got only one seat in Idukki. Even in Kottayam, UDF won only four out of nine seats. We need to significantly improve our performance in Central Travancore region to regain power,” said a senior Congress leader.
The leadership is also concerned about UDF’s poor performance in Thrissur where it could win only one out of 13 seats in the last election. “The Christian community is often regarded as a strong supporter of the UDF. However, the coalition’s performance in predominantly Christian areas has been notably disappointing, with the exception of Ernakulam,” said a former KPCC general secretary.
In light of these challenges, Congress and the UDF are pinning their hopes on the new, socially balanced, and youthful leadership to achieve their objectives. Coalition partners such as Indian Union Muslim League and the Kerala Congress led by P J Joseph are also satisfied with the change of guard in the Congress.
Meanwhile, KPCC president skipped questions regarding the outcome of their meeting with AICC leadership.
“The visit to Delhi was highly successful. The AICC leadership effectively engaged with the new leadership in the state. However, we are yet to assess the areas of strengths and weaknesses,” he told TNIE.