Speculation rife over KC(M)'s return to UDF, leaders swear allegiance to LDF

Kottayam: As the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) prepares to launch its campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections with three major processions across north, central and south Kerala, speculation is mounting over a possible return of the Kerala Congress (M) to the United Democratic Front (UDF).

The buzz gained momentum after the KC(M) chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani didn't attend the most recent LDF parliamentary party meetings and the LDF satyagraha against the centre's policies held in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. His absence triggered reports that the party may leave the alliance ahead of the assembly pollls. 

There were also media reports that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had reached out to Jose K Mani, inviting KC(M) to rejoin the UDF, following an initiative by AICC general secretary K V Venugopal. However, neither Jose K Mani nor the party leadership has confirmed any such discussions. Earlier, the LDF had announced that Jose K Mani would lead the front’s procession in central Kerala, making the reports of his possible exit all the more significant.

Amid reports that the KC(M) leadership itself is divided on whether to rejoin the UDF, party leader and Minister Roshi Augustine on Tuesday posted a photograph with senior LDF leaders on Facebook, captioned “Thudarum” (Will continue), in an apparent attempt to signal the party’s commitment to the Left front.

Speaking to the media later, Augustine dismissed reports of a possible switch as baseless and said he had no information about any discussion between Jose K Mani and Sonia Gandhi.

“Jose K Mani has already clarified that he could not attend the Thiruvananthapuram protest programme as he was in Delhi. The party has no reason to leave the LDF at this stage. Reports claiming that he will not be part of the LDF’s upcoming procession are untrue,” he said, adding that KC(M) would uphold political morality and had no issues with the Left front.

Augustine also denied reports of mediation efforts by Catholic Church leaders to persuade the party to return to the UDF. “Church leaders have never interfered in the internal or political affairs of the party,” he said.

Opposition Leader V D Satheesan recently visited the Syro-Malabar Church headquarters at Kakkanad during the Synod meeting, with reports suggesting that KC(M)’s possible return to the UDF figured prominently in discussions with church leaders.

Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has publicly welcomed KC(M) back to the UDF. IUML state general secretary P M A Salam said the inclusion of more parties would strengthen the UDF ahead of the elections. Political observers see this gesture, coming from the Congress-led front’s second-largest ally, as part of a broader strategy to expand the UDF before the polls.

For the UDF, bringing back KC(M), one of the largest Christian political parties in the state, is seen as crucial, especially amid opposition allegations that the Congress-led alliance is overly dependent on the IUML and Jamaat-e-Islami.

KC(M) joined the LDF ahead of the 2020 local body elections. In the 2021 Assembly polls, the party contested 12 seats and won five. The split in Christian votes in central Kerala was widely considered a key factor in the UDF’s defeat in that election.