2 months ago
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Shifting loyalties is considered commonplace successful electoral politics. Yet, long-serving legislators moving to rival governmental camps and contesting elections is uncommon successful the State’s governmental landscape.
But lately, Kerala has been witnessing precisely that trend: erstwhile legislators moving to different parties and ideologies they erstwhile fought bony and nail, some wrong and extracurricular the Legislative Assembly, and seeking a mandate nether the predetermination symbols of their erstwhile opponents.
As galore arsenic six erstwhile legislators person frankincense shifted their allegiance to rival camps and are successful the fray against their erstwhile comrades. While 4 erstwhile Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] legislators ended their ties with the party, 2 from the Communist Party of India (CPI) near for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) camp.
Aisha Potty, a three-time CPI(M) MLA from Kottarakara, ended her decades-long relation with the enactment during the 3rd week of January this year. Ms. Potty, who had headed the Kollam territory panchayat arsenic the enactment nominee from 2000 to 2005, had started gravitating distant from the CPI(M) astir 5 years agone erstwhile the enactment chose to regenerate her with K.N. Balagopal, who aboriginal went connected to go the State Finance Minister, from the Kottarakara Assembly constituency. The Congress was speedy to prehend the accidental and tract her from the aforesaid constituency.
However, that determination near its aftershock successful the Congress arsenic R. Resmi, the wide caput of Mahila Congress, who unsuccessfully contested against Mr. Balagopal successful the past election, joined the BJP aft realising that the Congress would similar Ms. Potty implicit her successful the 2026 polls. This time, Ms. Resmi, arsenic BJP candidate, volition instrumentality connected Mr. Balagopal and Ms. Potty from the constituency.
S. Rajendran, the CPI(M)’s typical from the Devikulam Assembly constituency successful the 2006, 2011, and 2016 elections, joined the BJP successful the 2nd week of January. Mr. Rajendran, who was astatine loggerheads with the enactment for rather immoderate time, near down the Marxist ideology and embraced the “nationalist” authorities of the BJP. The BJP has dutifully fielded him from the constituency.
Anger successful Ambalappuzha
Another stalwart to permission the near campy was erstwhile Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran, who was forced to discontinue from progressive authorities aft the enactment fixed the status property arsenic 75 years for its leaders. Mr. Sudhakaran, a four-term legislator, had openly expressed his resentment erstwhile helium was dropped from the State committee, citing the property criterion, astatine the State league of the enactment held successful Ernakulam successful 2022.
The Congress has reportedly decided not to enactment up a campaigner successful the Ambalappuzha constituency, wherever Mr. Sudhakaran is acceptable to contention arsenic successful Independent successful the 2026 polls. However, the BJP has fielded a campaigner from the constituency.
Then foe, present friend
Former CPI(M) legislator P.K. Sasi, against whom the Congress had raised superior allegations of intersexual misbehaviour, whitethorn find a caller state successful that enactment itself pursuing his determination to sever ties with the CPI(M) and to contention arsenic an Independent campaigner from Ottappalam. The determination of the United Democratic Front (UDF), of which the Congress is simply a constituent, volition beryllium known shortly.
Two of the CPI’s erstwhile legislators, K. Ajith, who represented Vaikom for a decennary from 2006, and C.C. Mukunadan, the first-time MLA from Nattika, decided to forgo their communist bequest and find comfortableness successful the saffron camp. Both Mr. Ajith and Mr. Mukundan person been fielded arsenic BJP candidates from the constituencies.
It’s to beryllium seen whether the erstwhile legislators would beryllium capable to person the electorate astir their newfound affability with their erstwhile foes and repetition their electoral performance.
