How Kerala Congress (Mani) controls Pala municipality even without numbers

UDF may have a hard time figuring out how it made a mess of the majority at the Pala municipality. In the meantime, KCM has regained a foothold in the civic body it ruled for decades by calling the shots in the election to the post of the chairperson.

Maya Rahul was elected chairperson of Pala municipality on August 19, securing 16 votes, including those of 12 LDF councillors. The election to the vice-chairperson's post will now assume added significance, as the party's support could prove decisive in determining the winner.

KCM continues to maintain that it is not seeking power and that its priority is ensuring development in Pala. Yet the political reality is difficult to ignore: in the land once dominated by K M Mani, the party that lost power now finds itself in a position to influence who holds it.

Pala has always been more than just a political stronghold for the Kerala Congress (M). It is part of the party's identity — a bastion built over decades under the leadership of late political stalwart K M Mani and later carried forward by his son and party chairman Jose K Mani.

That equation was shaken in the 2025 local-body elections, when the KCM lost control of the Pala municipality for the first time in 46 years. Although KCM emerged as the single largest party with 10 councillors, the UDF managed to keep it out of power by stitching together an unusual coalition that saw a 21-year-old become the youngest municipal chairperson in the country.
But KCM was not prepared to simply sit back and watch.

Political rivals say that the party played a behind-the-scenes role in the ousting of Diya Binu Pulickakandam as Pala municipality chairperson. Maya Rahul, an independent councillor who had served as Diya's deputy, subsequently took over as chairperson with the support of the LDF- a move that had KCM's blessings.

And KCM's influence may not end there. The vice chairperson's post is now vacant, with an election expected to be held soon. While KCM says it has no plans to contest the post, its support could prove decisive. With the LDF holding 10 councillors, including two from the CPM, the party's backing could determine who takes control of the municipality's second-highest post.

Binu Pulickakandam, Diya's father and one of the key figures who helped stitch together the UDF alliance, believes KCM has been working towards this moment for months. He alleges that Jose K Mani and KCM were behind the developments that unfolded in Pala over the past month. "This is totally the political agenda of KCM. It was a matter of their existence. They had waited for six months to make a move here," he alleged.

Even DCC President and Ettumanoor MLA Nattakom Suresh acknowledges this. "Yes, KCM was behind it. The councillors had no integrity. KCM used the opportunity well," he said, referring to the four Congress rebel councillors who supported Maya to power, defying party whip.

For Jose K Mani and KCM, the developments could be seen as a 'sweet political revenge'. KCM lost its foothold in Pala after the 2025 local-body election defeat, followed by Jose K Mani's second consecutive defeat to Mani C Kappan in the Assembly election earlier this year. The latest developments have therefore been interpreted by some as a comeback for the party in its traditional bastion.

KCM, however, is keen to play down such suggestions. "We have supported Maya in Pala because we don't want a power vacuum in the municipality. Development initiatives should continue, and that is what we want," said Lopez Mathew, KCM Kottayam district president.

While Lopez said the party would not nominate one of its own councillors for the vice-chairperson's post, he also sought to distance KCM from the four Congress councillors whose rebellion helped Maya come to power.

Yet, the political reality is difficult to overlook- KCM may not hold the chairperson's post, but it holds the key to Pala's political arithmetic.

How the UDF coalition unravelled
The developments in Pala stem from the unusual coalition that brought the UDF to power after the 2025 local-body elections. The alliance brought together six Congress councillors, three members of the Pulickakandam independent group, known locally as the independent collective, a KDP member and Maya Rahul. Together, they secured the numbers needed to form the municipal administration, with Diya Binu Pulickakandam becoming chairperson and Maya Rahul her deputy.

For some time, the arrangement appeared to be holding. But following the Assembly election, cracks began to emerge within the UDF camp. For KCM, the widening differences presented an opportunity to regain a foothold in the municipality it had lost.

The friction largely centred on the Pulickakandam family, whose support had been crucial for the UDF. Several within the local Congress unit were already at odds with Binu Pulickakandam, one of the key figures behind the coalition.

Relations between Congress and the Pulickakandam group deteriorated further after the independents stayed away from a council meeting that approved the DYFI's request to hold its district conference at the Kottaramattom bus stand. Congress leaders had strongly opposed the move and accused the independents of favouring the LDF.

The rift deepened further after Diya accused Congress councillor Biju Mathews of stealing her expensive wristwatch and official files from the chairperson's office. Local Congress leaders said the episode further strained relations between the party and the Pulickakandam family.

Although the support of the Pulickakandam family had been crucial to the UDF's return to power, sections of the Congress were increasingly unwilling to accept the arrangement.

Four Congress councillors — Biju Mathews, Tony Thaiparambil, Lissykutty Mathew and Rajitha Prakash — eventually turned against the Pulickakandam family. According to Congress sources in Pala, their position was also backed by several local party leaders and workers, despite the stand taken by the state-level leadership.

"We could not accept many things that Binu did. They have no regard for Congress workers. What the four Congress councillors did has our backing," a Congress leader from Pala said on condition of anonymity.

The rebellion eventually led to Diya's ousting as municipal chairperson.

Significantly, the Congress rebels' distrust of the three Pulickakandam family members — Binu, Diya and Binu's brother Biju — mirrors KCM's long-standing reservations about the independent group.

"How can one trust them? The so-called independent collective was previously with the BJP, then the CPM and now the UDF. They do not have a clear political stand. How can they sustain themselves here?" asked Lopez. His remarks were a reference to Binu's political journey, which included associations with the Congress, BJP and CPM before he emerged as an independent.

The Congress leadership, however, sees the developments differently. It alleges that KCM exploited the differences within the UDF and played a role in turning the Congress councillors against the alliance.

It is worth recalling that even the state Congress leadership had to stage a marathon sit-in to make the UDF alliance in Pala a reality. Critics have since accused the party leadership of failing to sustain the administration because of its own inefficiency.

However, Nattakom Suresh rejects that charge. "These four councillors were always trying to create problems. We called them for discussions several times, but they did not cooperate. They defied the whip during the no-confidence motion against Diya. Now, we have removed them from the party," Suresh said.