Kochi: The internal fissures within the Twenty20 exploded into the open today as a faction of leaders, led by former Vadavucode Block Panchayat President Raseena Pareeth, announced their resignation from the party. In a press conference held at Kolencherry that turned into a stinging indictment of the leadership, the dissidents labelled the party a "recruiting agency for the BJP" and accused president Sabu M Jacob of betraying the party's founding secular principles.

​Signalling a swift political realignment, senior Congress leader and former Kunnathunad MLA V P Sajeendran was present at the press meet, effectively rolling out the carpet for the defectors to join the United Democratic Front (UDF). 

​In one of the most explosive allegations raised at the press meet, Raseena Pareeth claimed that the party leadership had secretly collected caste and religious data from voters under the guise of welfare. ​" A few months ago, a survey was conducted for a 'Loyalty Card', promising subsidies for food, textiles, and medicines. At the time, we didn't think much of the column asking for caste and religion. We realise now that this data wasn't for giving subsidies. You don't need caste data to feed the poor. It was to show the BJP exactly how many people from specific communities are with them. They misled the people to build a database for this merger," Pareeth said. 

​The defectors argued that the decision to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was taken unilaterally, without consulting the Parliamentary Board or elected representatives. "There was no communication. We learned about this alliance through the news," Pareeth said. She recalled the party's earlier promise, “In early political speeches, the president stated that Twenty20 is neither Left nor Right, and if the time ever came to merge with a front, the party would be dissolved. What we see today is a total betrayal of that stance," she added. 

​The crisis appears far from over. The dissident faction warned that today's resignations are just the beginning. "Elected representatives, including current panchayat members, are preparing to leave. They haven't had time to organise yet, but you can expect a mass resignation in the coming days," Pareeth added.

​The presence of Sajeendran at the venue underscores the Congress party's aggressive strategy to capitalise on the split. With the Twenty20's "corporate” apolitical image fractured by its NDA alliance, the Congress aims to absorb the dissatisfied vote bank, particularly in the Kunnathunad constituency, to challenge the LDF's hold.