Kuravilangad: Kerala Congress Chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani remains at the centre of political buzz in the Kaduthuruthy Assembly constituency, days after the inauguration of Kerala’s first Science City in Kuravilangad. Congress and other opposition parties allege that Mani is preparing to contest from the constituency, considered a Kerala Congress (M) stronghold, abandoning his 'ancestral' seat of Pala.

Jose, son of the late KM Mani, contested the 2021 Assembly elections from Pala but secured only 39.3 per cent of the votes, finishing second to UDF's Mani C Kappan. This marked KC(M)’s second consecutive defeat in the constituency following the demise of KM Mani, who had won from Pala 11 times since the constituency was formed. In the 2019 byelection triggered by Mani's passing, Jose Tom Pulikkunnel of KC(M) lost to Kappan.

The Congress said that a string of electoral defeats since Jose K Mani took charge of KC(M), coupled with his lack of grassroots popularity, has compelled him to look for a safer constituency to make his debut in the Kerala Assembly. "Jose won’t dare contest from Pala anymore, even if he wants to," said George Pious, Youth Congress State Secretary, adding that the people of Pala do not hold Jose in the same regard as his father, Mani.

KC(M) switched sides and joined the CPM-led LDF in October 2020 after the death of party founder KM Mani. The late leader is also regarded as a founder of the Congress-led UDF.

A pocket borough
Kaduthuruthy Assembly constituency is considered a bastion of the Kerala Congress, with the party enjoying a more solid base here than in Pala. Four panchayats, Kadaplamattom, Uzhavoor, Veliyannoor, and Marangattupilly, are regarded as strongholds of the party. Of these, the LDF holds power in all except Uzhavoor, with the support of Kerala Congress (M), a key constituent of the alliance.

Further underscoring the LDF's dominance, the alliance controls nine out of the eleven panchayats in the constituency, an advantage that is reportedly influencing Jose's potential shift to Kaduthuruthy. Additionally, KM Mani hails from Marangattupilly, allowing Jose to assert his local roots within the constituency.

The Congress also argues that the inauguration of the first phase of Science City in Kuravilangadu, part of Kaduthuruthy, is a first step that Jose took to assert his dominance and familiarity. The Kerala Congress has also reportedly started conducting family meetings in the four panchayaths, even before they began in Pala, further raising suspicions that the KC(M) Chairman will be contesting from the constituency.

"The Science City is far from complete; only the first phase is done, and key attractions are still pending. The project was launched in 2014 and took 11 years to complete the first phase. Now, with elections nearing, they rushed the inauguration. Jose K Mani remains silent on the delay and on acknowledging the contributions of Oommen Chandy and the UDF," said Biju Thomas, Congress’ Kuravilangad Mandalam President.

He also added that Jose and the CPM have tried to claim the Science City as their own, without even inviting Congress leaders to the inauguration held on July 2. "It's true that Jose played a key role in the project— but that was during his time with the UDF. The contributions of AK Antony and Chandy sir have been sidelined, while Jose now praises Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM, who had initially opposed the project," Biju said.

The Congress also pointed out that Jose will need CPM's support to secure a win in Kaduthuruthy. While the party of sitting MLA Mons Joseph, the bracket-less Kerala Congress led by PJ Joseph, lacks a strong political base in the constituency compared to KC(M), Mons has managed to win the seat largely due to his personal influence and political experience.

A win in the upcoming election is crucial for Jose to counter persistent political attacks, especially from the Congress, which claims that his past electoral successes were solely due to the 'political engineering' by his father.

"During the delimitation of 2008, four panchayaths were added to Kaduthuruthy constituency under the influence of KM Mani, who looked for a secure seat for his son in the future. At that time, Mons was in LDF and Kallara panchayat, a CPM stronghold, was moved to Vaikom constituency," said George. "However, by the 2011 elections, the political landscape had shifted as PJ Joseph rejoined KC(M), and the seat was allotted to his group," he added. Jose, meanwhile, contested the Lok Sabha elections from Kottayam, securing victories in both 2009 and 2014.

However, Jose’s political fortunes took a downturn after his father's death. Following his initial defeat in Pala, he parted ways with the PJ Joseph faction and joined the LDF. But fate didn’t favour him, as he suffered another loss in Pala during the last Assembly election. Subsequently, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha with CPM support.

KC(M) leaders, however, dismissed the rumours, saying that had he wanted Jose could have contested from Kaduthuruthy in the previous election too. They accused the Congress of spreading baseless speculation. "Jose could have contested from Kaduthuruthy last time too, the four panchayats were already part of the constituency. These rumours are completely baseless," said Johnson Pulickiyil, a KC(M) leader.

Jose K Mani and Mons Joseph were not immediately available for a comment when contacted. Mani C Kaapan, the sitting Pala MLA, declined to comment on the possible switch.