Lok Sabha polls: Factionalism erodes Congress advantage in Kerala

The issues between the warring groups are surfacing at a time when the Congress is in an ideal condition to win the maximum number of seats

‘Mission 20/20’! This was the motto that echoed in the Congress circles in Kerala when Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Wayanad was announced last month.

For the first time, Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) workers sniffed the possibility of winning all the 20 seats in the state, riding the “Rahul effect”. However, what comes in the way of this now seems to be the eternal issue of infighting within the Congress.

Factionalism transpired when Shashi Tharoor reportedly wrote on this to AICC General Secretary Mukul Wasnik. Tharoor, who is in for a close fight with the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram, indicated that the local committees had not been cooperating with him during the campaign. Followed by this, the AICC rushed All India Kisan Congress Chairman Nana Patole, who is also the Nagpur candidate, as an observer to Thiruvananthapuram and asked him to stay there till the completion of the polls.

At least 20 local committees in the constituency stayed away from the campaign while Tharoor was running the show with his own poll machinery and friends. According to a party insider, this is not the case with one constituency alone. The grand old party is finding it difficult to get workers to be booth agents and distribute pamphlets in most places.

“Leaders should work beyond groups. Group rivalry will spoil the party’s chances in elections” — these are the words of K V Thomas, a five-time member of Parliament from the state, after he was denied a Lok Sabha seat this time. Amid the sharing of seats between the two prominent groups — the ‘A’ (Antony) group, led by former chief minister Oommen Chandy, and the ‘I’ (Indira) group, led by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala — Thomas reportedly lost his seat, Ernakulam.

At least 20 local committees in Thiruvananthapuram stayed away from the campaign while Shashi Tharoor ran the show with his own poll machinery and friends

“Factionalism was always there in the Congress in Kerala. Despite this, as Rahul Gandhi has come to contest from the state, people may still vote for the party. The reason is 45 per cent of the minority population, mainly the 27 per cent Muslim community, see him as a better force than the Left to counter Narendra Modi at the Centre,” A Jayashankar, a senior political analyst, told Business Standard.

The history of factionalism in the state Congress unit dates back to the early 1980s, when then stalwarts K Karunakaran and Antony were leading the charge. After that the baton was passed on to Chandy and Chennithala, though neither has shown loyalty to the founding fathers of these groups. Another party source indicated that like in the north, the party is facing the threat of many of its leaders being poached by the BJP.

The issues between the warring factions are surfacing at a time when the Congress is in an ideal condition to win the maximum number of seats. Jayashankar says the Left had hoped the matter of women being allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple would shift Hindu votes of the Congress towards the BJP, a move that would have helped the CPI(M).

“This strategy backfired after Rahul’s surprise entry because the presence of a prime ministerial candidate for the first time in Kerala's history will naturally tilt voters towards the Congress. Hence, I believe that despite all the differences the Congress will win the maximum number of seats from Kerala only,” he said. 

In addition to this, there were the recent floods, which were allegedly owing to bad dam management by the CPI(M)-led government. This was followed but its alleged failure to deliver reconstruction because a majority of the people have got nothing except Rs 10,000 so far. The Left parties also faced the ire of the Nair community, which comprises around 13 per cent of the population in the state. This time, the BJP is expected to get a good share of the Nair vote, because temple administrations in the state are handled mainly by the community. Political violence in the state adds to the CPI(M)’s discomfiture.

All these factors are giving the Congress an advantage in Kerala. Though Congress factionalism is hurting the party in some constituencies, candidates are making up for it with dedicated cadre support from allies like the Indian Union Muslim League. On the other hand, except in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Palakkad and Thrissure, the BJP seems to be a distant third.