Congress cries foul over 'BJP-CPM deal', LDF frowns at Twenty20-backed UDF committee in Ernakulam panchayat

Kochi: In the high-decibel arena of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, Opposition Leader VD Satheesan has made a “clandestine LDF-NDA deal” and “unholy nexus” the centrepiece of the UDF’s campaign for the last few days. He points to NDA’s alleged “weak candidates” in seats like Palakkad and Ranni as evidence of a secret deal between the hammer-and-sickle and the lotus. However, in a striking political paradox, the most visible and functional “deal” in the state isn’t a secret at all; it’s the governing alliance between the UDF and the newest NDA entrant, Twenty20, in the Vadavucode-Puthencruz Grama Panchayat in Ernakulam.

While Satheesan warns of an “unholy nexus”, the LDF has seized on Vadavucode-Puthencruz as the smoking gun of a deal that is already in force. Here, the UDF doesn’t just have an understanding with the NDA; it relies on them to stay in power in the panchayat.

The arithmetic of this 17-member panchayat tells a story of strategic survival. In the 2025 local body polls, the LDF emerged as the single largest party with 8 seats. Yet, they sit in the opposition. The UDF, with only 7 seats, wrested control by securing the support of two members from Twenty20.

Even after Twenty20 officially joined the BJP-led NDA in early 2026, the partnership remained unshaken. UDF nominee Reji Thomas continues as the panchayat president, leading an administration that serves as a living laboratory for the “Vadavucode-Puthencruz model”, a blueprint the LDF claims the UDF plans to replicate across the Kunnathunad constituency and the state in the assembly polls.

The LDF Kunnathunad Constituency Committee has framed this as much more than a local convenience. They describe it as a “strategic rehearsal” for the assembly elections, allegedly scripted by UDF candidate and KPCC Vice President VP Sajeendran. Their statement pulls no punches, alleging that while the UDF and NDA pretend to be rivals on the surface, they have “shaken hands to exclude the single largest party from administration” in a blatant betrayal of ordinary Congress workers.

The LDF’s allegation of a systematic “vote transfer” is supported by a consolidation of vote blocks across recent major elections. They point out that in the 2021 Assembly elections, Twenty20 and the BJP combined for 49,919 votes (42,701 for Twenty20 and 7,218 for the BJP). This pattern continued into the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, where the combined bloc reached 14,308 votes (6,163 for Twenty20 and 8,145 for the BJP). Most recently, in the 2025 panchayat elections, the two groups maintained a massive presence with a combined 40,363 votes, consisting of 33,383 for Twenty20 and 6,980 for the BJP.

According to the LDF, the decision to field Babu Divakaran, an “outsider” candidate on the NDA ticket, one with no local ties, is a calculated tactic to ensure a major portion of these 40,000+ votes flow directly to Sajeendran. They claim this “unholy alliance” exists primarily to unseat CPM’s sitting MLA, PV Sreenijin, who remains a “prime enemy” for the Twenty20 leadership in the region.

NDA and UDF’s defence
The protagonists of this public arrangement in Vadavucode-Puthencruz panchayat, however, painted a picture of local necessity. Sabu M Jacob, President of Twenty20, argued that the decision was born out of a decades-long crisis of governance.

“This wasn't about high politics; it was a humanitarian necessity. For over 20 years, the LDF ruled this panchayat while people breathed toxic air from factories like Kochi Refinery. They did nothing to stop the pollution. We simply saw it as a need to vote them out and assume power for the people. It was not political. We didn't even bargain for a single post, not the vice-presidency nor any committee chairmanships. The LDF’s allegations are baseless,” Jacob told Onmanorama.

Panchayat President Reji Thomas echoes this, emphasising personal trust over party directives. “This understanding was based purely on regional and local dynamics to wrest the panchayat from the LDF. The Twenty20 members supported me because they knew me personally. It is not part of some grand party-level deal. If they choose to withdraw support in the future, we won’t pull them back,” Thomas said.

The Vadavucode-Puthencruz scenario creates a significant tactical headache for the UDF. As Satheesan attempts to paint the LDF and NDA as two sides of the same coin, the LDF can point to Ernakulam and ask why the Congress is comfortably governing with the NDA's newest partner.

For Twenty20, the move is a pragmatic strike against Sreenijin, ensuring no panchayat in Kunnathunad remains under LDF control. For the LDF, it is a potent counter-narrative to blunt the UDF's “deal” allegations.