KOCHI/T’PURAM/P’THITTA : The Congress on Monday intensified its allegation of a covert understanding between the CPM and the BJP in Kerala, with senior leaders claiming that recent candidate selections and political positions point to a “mutual arrangement” aimed at influencing outcomes in key assembly constituencies.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had “surrendered” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect his close associates and was now acting as the BJP’s “captain” in the state. Speaking in Adoor, he said Pinarayi had taken up a “quotation” from the BJP and was even targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as part of this understanding. Venugopal dismissed Pinarayi’s remarks branding Rahul Gandhi as the BJP’s “B team” as “the biggest joke Kerala has heard,” and asserted that a strong pro-UDF wave was building across the state.
Echoing the charge, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan cited what he termed as “glaring inconsistencies” in NDA seat allocations. He questioned the rationale behind fielding Twenty20 candidates in constituencies such as Konni and Ranni, where the outfit has little or no organisational presence. “Konni is a seat where BJP leaders have polled significant votes in the past. Why hand it over to Twenty20? What is their base there?” he asked.
Satheesan also pointed to the NDA’s decision to allot the Ranni seat, which includes Sabarimala, to Twenty20, arguing that the move lacked political logic unless viewed as part of a broader understanding.
Earlier, the Congress leaders alleged that in Palakkad, the LDF’s decision to field N M R Razak, a relatively unfamiliar face, was aimed at easing the path for BJP candidate Shobha Surendran. Similarly, there were questions over the decision to field a Twenty20 candidate in Tripunithura, where BJP has a strong presence.
The Congress has also linked these allegations to previous controversies, including the Karuvannur bank scam and developments during the Thrissur Pooram, claiming they were part of a pattern that benefited the BJP.
Rejecting the allegations, BJP state general secretary S Suresh said the “deal narrative” was a deliberate attempt. “K Muraleedharan was fielded for suicide missions in Nemom during the 2021 assembly polls and Thrissur during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the sole aim was to defeat us. It worked well in Nemom, but failed in Thrissur,” Suresh said.