4 months ago
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Former three-time CPI(M) MLA P. Aisha Potty sprung a astonishment connected Tuesday (January 13, 2026) by joining the Congress successful Kerala.
Ms. Potty formally entered the enactment soon aft appearing alongside elder Congress leaders, including AICC wide caput K.C. Venugopal and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, at the ongoing day-and-night protestation successful beforehand of Kerala Lok Bhavan. KPCC president Sunny Joseph handed implicit her enactment rank card.
Ms. Potty, who represented the Kottarakara Assembly constituency for 3 terms, had been distancing herself from the CPI(M) for astir 5 years. She was denied a spot successful the 2021 Assembly elections aft the enactment chose to tract incumbent MLA and Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal from the constituency. In 2024, she was dropped from the CPI(M) Kottarakara country committee. Though she had stayed distant from progressive authorities since then, speculation had been rife successful caller months astir her imaginable power to the Congress.
Rejects charges of ‘class traitor’
Rejecting allegations that branded her a “class traitor” for changing parties, Ms. Potty said governmental parties and movements “evolve implicit time” and that the CPI(M) “was nary longer the aforesaid organisation it was” erstwhile she had joined. She added that she continued to respect enactment workers and comrades from her erstwhile enactment contempt ideological differences.
She said idiosyncratic attacks would not deter her and that specified disapproval “only strengthened her resolve.”
Dismissing speculation that differences with CPI(M) leaders, including Mr. Balagopal, prompted her decision, Ms. Potty said she harboured nary idiosyncratic grievances. She added that she had informed the enactment arsenic aboriginal arsenic March 2023 that she was uncovering it hard to relation effectively. “I realised that I nary longer had the abstraction I needed to work,” she said.
Ms. Potty said she had joined the Congress “without immoderate conditions”, but added that it was excessively aboriginal to remark connected whether she would contention the upcoming Assembly elections.
Explaining her determination to articulation the Congress, she said she had initially planned to retreat from authorities and instrumentality to her ineligible profession. However, “repeated appeals from mean citizens”, including those without governmental affiliations, persuaded her to proceed progressive nationalist engagement.
The improvement comes soon aft Mr. Satheesan claimed that the State would witnesser respective “political surprises” successful the run-up to the elections. He reiterated that parties wrong the Left Democratic Front (LDF), National Democratic Alliance (NDA), arsenic good arsenic Independent persons, would travel unneurotic connected the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) platform.
