As Kerala gears up for the Assembly polls next year, the community- and caste-based politics is beginning to tighten its grip on frontline political parties especially the Congress. The local body election is being seen as a litmus test for the Congress and CPI(M) as the two parties have selected candidates mainly on community and caste criteria.
Hectic political parleys are on in the Congress party as the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance which it leads has a winning chance and the community considerations are expected to play a vital role in the selection for the CM's post. The Hindu Ezhava community, lead by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), is strongly backing Vayalar Ravi, Union minister for NRI and Parliamentary Affairs, for the post.
In the last UDF government, the Congress had two chief ministers, AK Antony and Oommen Chandy, both of whom are Christians. Now, there is a strong view in the Pradesh Congress that the next CM should be from the Hindu community. The Ezhava community and its lobby in the Congress say that the Congress had neglected their community after R Shankar had been given the chief ministership in the early 1960s. And so, according to Ezhava community leaders, Vayalar Ravi should be given a chance to the post this time. In the past, Congress selected K Karunakaran, who hails from the Marar section of the Nair community, AK Antony and Oommen Chandy.
But a section of the leaders who support Ommen Chandy for the post say that he should be given one more chance at the CM's post to make up for his short tenure. He became the chief minister of Kerala when AK Antony resigned from the post after the UDF's defeat in the parliament elections. So Chandy got nearly two years at the CM's post.
On the other hand, the section backing Vayalar Ravi says that during its 2001-06 term, the Congress had given opportunities to two leaders from the Christian community and that this group now has an upper hand in the party.
Added to that, CPI(M) is playing the tactic of appeasing the majority Hindu community in the local body elections, leading to an erosion of majority community support for the Congress. This can be corrected, they say, only by appointing a Hindu as the CM.
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Because the Ezhava community has been set aside for around 40 years, this time the community is pushing its claim on the post. As Vayalar Ravi has the profile of a senior leader from the state and was a member of the Congress working committee during 1970s, he should be given a chance, says the Ezhava lobby in the party. The Nair community is going through an enstranged relationship with the Congress party for a long time because of the party's favouritism to the Christan and Muslim communities.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is trying very hard to cash in on this and the local body election is a 'dress rehearsal' of this major shift in the front's political line. If they perform well in this election, they could be expected to strongly come out with the changed line. The CPI(M)-led alliance feels that this time the Hindu card would give it an edge in the poltical battle.
So a major chunk of the Congress leaders favour a Hindu leader for the post of CM to defeat the CPI(M). The issue before the party is the accommodation of Oommen Chandy if a Hindu leader is given a chance to the CM's post. There are reports in a section of the local media that Oommen Chandy would be included in the working committee of the party. At present, only AK Antony is in the Congress Working Committe from Kerala. Though K Karunakaran is an invitee to the working committee he is not attending the meetings due to ill health.
Whatever may be the situation, the word of AK Antony is going to be final at the Congress High Command. However he has not given a clue as to his stand in the political develoments in the state so far.