Thiruvananthapuram: The regional political outfit Kerala Congress has again lived up to its reputation of splitting and growing often since its origin half a century ago. With Tuesday's split in the Kerala Congress (Balakrishna Pillai) led by actor and MLA KB Ganesh Kumar, there are now eight Kerala Congress splinter groups vying for survival and political space in the state.
Though Kerala Congress has its roots in the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) political alliance, most splinter groups are now associated with the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
KM Mani-founded Kerala Congress is undoubtedly the largest party among all the groups. It is with the LDF and is led by Jose K Mani, MP, and State Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine.
Other groups now with the LDF are Democratic Kerala Congress led by Transport Minister Antony Raju, Kerala Congress (Scaria Thomas) and Kerala Congress (B).
On Tuesday, KC (B) led by KB Ganesh Kumar, MLA, underwent a split. Pillai's daughter Usha Mohandas formed a new party, breaking away from Ganesh Kumar and followers. So, five Kerala Congress parties are with the LDF. Kerala Congress (Scaria Thomas) is divided into two camps though a formal split is yet to happen.
In the UDF, there are two Kerala Congress parties. One is led by former Minister PJ Joseph and the other is led by Anoop Jacob, son of the late TM Jacob.
PJ Joseph is the chairman of Kerala Congress party without a bracketed initial after he teamed up with Kerala Congress led by ex-MP PC Thomas. The merger happened just before the last Assembly polls. Thomas gained the control of the bracketless Kerala Congress party after a series of legal fights. Joseph, who lost a legal battle over the KC(M) symbol before Assembly polls, joined Thomas' party to make his position secure.
The BJP-led NDA too accommodates a Kerala Congress splinter group. It is the Nationalist Kerala Congress party led by chairman Kuruvila Mathews.
