Congress eyes BJP's aid to oust CPM in Kasaragod panchayat reeling from political murders, leaders hesitant

Kasaragod: Seven-and-a-half months after the local-body elections, a section of Congress leaders has begun laying the groundwork to oust the CPM from the presidency of Pullur-Periya grama panchayat with the support of the lone BJP member. The Congress-led United Democratic Front had done the same during the 2010-2015 term, but the front's leadership is wary of the timing, with the Congress mounting an aggressive national campaign against the BJP amid the Cockroach Janta Party's social media storm and protests. The move also brings an unresolved power struggle within the Congress over the president's post back to the fore.

The 19-member panchayat is evenly split between the LDF and UDF, with nine members each, while the BJP has one member, A Santhosh Kumar of Vishnumangalam ward. The UDF needs his support to overcome the CPM's numbers if it moves a no-confidence motion against CPM president C K Sabitha, who assumed office after winning a draw of lots on December 29. The vice-president's post went to Congress's Adv M K Baburajan, who was central to the party's fight for justice for the families of slain Youth Congress workers Sarath Lal P K and Kripesh. Baburajan's victory left the UDF and LDF in an uneasy collaboration to govern the panchayat.

The Congress's move at the grassroots began with its Koodanam ward member and former vice-president Karthyani A submitting her resignation from the panchayat board on Friday, January 14. On the face of it, the move will give an advantage to the CPM-led LDF to move a no-confidence motion against vice-president Baburajan.

But Karthyani's resignation letter was not accepted because it was handwritten on plain paper and was not submitted in the prescribed form. It could not have been an oversight. The stunt has, however, forced the Congress to confront a demand that Karthyani and a section of the party have been pressing for: that the UDF move a no-confidence motion against Sabitha now that the statutory six-month period has elapsed.

The two Congress mandalam committees in Pullur-Periya panchayat met on Saturday to discuss the issue and decided to send four leaders to speak to Karthyani. Their mission is to persuade Karthyani to back off from her intention to resign.

Karthyani's presidency claim
Karthyani, who was the vice-president in the previous term, had staked a claim to be the UDF's presidential candidate immediately after the December 2025 local body elections. She had the backing of three other members. But another section within the Congress supported first-time member Usha N Nair as the presidential candidate.

The disagreement saw four Congress members, including Karthyani, stay away from the December 27 presidential election. This forced the other UDF members and the lone BJP member to also keep off, leaving the meeting without quorum. Pullur-Periya was the only panchayat in Kerala where the president and vice-president elections were not held that day.

On December 28, Sunday, Irikkur MLA and KPCC representative Sajeev Joseph intervened and brokered a compromise. Usha Nair and Adv M K Baburajan were to be the Congress candidates for president and vice-president for the first two years, while Karthyani and Ratheesh were to be considered for the respective posts for the remaining three years.

In the presidential election on December 29, the LDF and UDF secured nine votes each. BJP's Santhosh Kumar abstained. With neither side securing a majority, the returning officer drew lots and the CPM's C K Sabitha won the draw to become president. The vice-president's election went the UDF's way after a CPM member's vote was declared invalid. Congress's Baburajan defeated CPM veteran A Narayanan.

Karthyani's camp now argues that the December arrangement should not prevent the UDF from seeking to remove Sabitha. Sources said Karthyani wants to be considered for the president's post if the no-confidence motion succeeds and has told the Congress leadership that BJP's Vishnumangalam member A Santhosh Kumar would support her candidature.

BJP's crucial one vote
A no-confidence motion requires the support of a majority of the panchayat's notified strength. In a 19-member board, 10 votes are required. The UDF has only nine, making the BJP member's role crucial.

If Santhosh Kumar abstains, Sabitha will continue as the president.

Sources in Karthyani's camp claim that Santhosh Kumar is likely to support her bid for the presidency. The BJP is also said to be unhappy with the CPM over the delimitation of wards in areas where it had a stronger presence.

Congress leaders close to Karthyani insist, however, that seeking the BJP member's support should not be equated with an alliance. "It is not that we want to have a truck with the BJP. But how can we forget the CPM workers had murdered four Congress workers in Pullur-Periya panchayat," said a Congress Panchayat member, who supports Karthyani.

The four Congress workers cited by her camp are T V Devadas of Chalingal, Raghavan of Kumbla, and Kripesh and Sharath Lal P K of Kalliyot. The latter two were hacked to death in 2019, while Devadas was killed in 2001 and Raghavan in an earlier political clash. Four CPM workers are serving life imprisonment in the Devadas murder case.

The history of political violence gives the Karthyani camp a powerful argument against continuing to share power with the CPM.

Grassroots plan, district-level hesitation
At the local level, leaders backing Karthyani see an opportunity to oust the CPM from the presidency and install a Congress president. They argue that the BJP's role would be limited to supporting the no-confidence motion and, subsequently, the election of a new president. Once a Congress president is elected, the CPM cannot dislodge her without BJP support, which is unlikely in Pullur-Periya.

At the district level, however, leaders are conscious of the bad optics of such an arrangement. The Congress is currently taking on the BJP nationally, with Rahul Gandhi demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over police action against protesters in Delhi. A local arrangement with the BJP could therefore provide ammunition to the CPM. The timing is particularly awkward, with the Congress facing criticism over the full rendition of Vande Mataram at Independence Day events in Congress-ruled states of Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana, and also at the AICC headquarters. The district leadership is consequently wary of rushing into a no-confidence motion, even as the grassroots faction argues that the political circumstances in Pullur-Periya are different.

The recent success of the UDF in removing the CPM from power in neighbouring Udma grama panchayat through a no-confidence motion has added to the pressure on the Pullur-Periya leadership.

But District Congress President P K Faisal said that there was no question of bringing in a no-confidence motion with the support of the BJP. "Across the country, the Congress is spearheading a big movement against the BJP, and it is gaining momentum. We are not going to derail it for small gains. If anyone moves a no-confidence motion with BJP's support, the DCC and KPCC will take strong action against them," he told Onmanorama.