Kochi: The long-standing Munambam Waqf land dispute in Kerala has taken a sharp political turn ahead of the local body elections, as the convenor of the Munambam Land Protection Council is set to contest on a Congress ticket, a move that created a rift among the land owners.

Joseph Benny, convenor of the council, is likely to be the candidate for the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Vypin Block Panchayat from the Munambam division. The Congress party is expected to officially announce his candidature soon.

Benny’s political plunge has not gone down well within the council, which maintains that it is an apolitical citizens’ movement representing over 600 families caught in a legal limbo over land ownership. Fr. Antony Xavier Tharayil, the patron of the council and Vicar of Munambam Velankanni Matha Church, said they have always maintained a firm, non-political stance, reiterating that their fight is solely for the rightful ownership of their land and that they support no political party. 

"The council’s stand is very clear. We do not have any political agenda. Benny has not discussed anything with the council regarding his candidature. He cannot contest while continuing as the convenor of the council," Fr. Tharayil said.

Meanwhile, Benny told Onmanorama that contesting the election is his "personal decision." He justified his move by stating that Congress has been the sole political party supporting the council since the beginning of the Waqf issue.

“The Congress approached me, and I agreed because they have supported us from the beginning, while the LDF and NDA have done nothing to resolve the uncertainty. Both state and central governments have failed to frame rules to safeguard our lands despite the High Court ruling in our favour that held the disputed land was a gift to Farooq College, not Waqf property,” Benny said.

Ernakulam DCC president Mohammed Shiyas confirmed discussions are underway. “They have asked for a block panchayat seat. Talks are on, but nothing is final yet,” he said.

The timing of Benny's decision is critical. Nearly 610 families affected by the dispute are yet to decide whether to cast their votes or boycott the polls entirely.

“Residents are even debating whether they should vote at all in the local body polls. They are asking why they should vote for any party as they have not supported them to resolve the land issue," Fr. Tharayil said.

The Munambam Waqf land issue concerns decades-old land dispute where the Kerala Waqf Board claimed ownership over 404 acres of land in Munambam in Ernakulam, which has been inhabited and owned by generations of Christian and Hindu families since 1950. The dispute began in 2019 after the Waqf Board declared the land as Waqf property, which created a legal limbo for the residents, making it impossible to pay land taxes or sell their properties.

Even though the Kerala High Court Division Bench ruled that the disputed land is not Waqf property, the Kerala Waqf Board is preparing to challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court. At a time when the legal battle is far from over, the internal rift threatens to weaken the council, which was formed to stand united against the Board and secure ownership of the land families have lived on for decades.