'Closed book': KC(M) rules out UDF return ahead of steering committee meet

Kottayam: Amid speculation over a possible change in alliance, Kerala Congress (M) leaders on Friday reiterated that the party remains committed to the LDF, ahead of the steering committee meeting held at the party headquarters here.

Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani dismissed talk of a return to the UDF, saying such entry was a “book that has not been opened”. There was no point, he said, in discussing a book that had never been opened, adding that even if someone were to open it, it would be read and then closed.

Despite repeated public assertions by the leadership, uncertainty persists within the party. Speculation intensified after Jose K Mani recently skipped a protest organised by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram against the Union government’s policies.

While Mani has maintained that all five Kerala Congress (M) MLAs remain united, discussions on a possible alliance shift have exposed internal differences. The issue came into the open after irrigation minister Roshy Augustine and MLA Pramod Narayanan stated on social media that they would continue with the LDF.

Roshy Augustine on Friday said no discussions had taken place within the party on a change in alliance. He said the chairman had already clarified the party’s stand and added that Kerala Congress (M) does not change its position every hour.

Kerala Congress (M) joined the LDF ahead of the 2020 local body elections and contested 12 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls, winning five. The party’s MLAs are Dr N Jayaraj (Kanjirappally), Job Maichil (Changanassery), Pramod Narayanan (Ranni), Roshy Augustine (Idukki) and Sebastian Kulathunkal (Poonjar). The split in Christian votes in central Kerala was widely seen as a key factor in the UDF’s defeat in that election.

However, voting trends in the 2026 local body and Lok Sabha elections in Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts indicate continued grassroots support for the UDF in areas where Kerala Congress (M) has a strong presence, despite the party remaining with the Left front for the past five years.

For the UDF, bringing back Kerala Congress (M), one of the largest Christian political parties in the state, is seen as politically significant, particularly amid allegations that the Congress-led alliance is overly dependent on the IUML and Jamaat-e-Islami. Opposition Leader VD Satheesan on Friday clarified that the Congress had not held any discussions with Kerala Congress (M), while KC Venugopal said the UDF’s doors were always open to the party.