RJD sticks with LDF in Kerala despite local body election setbacks

Bringing an extremity to speculation implicit a imaginable defection to the Opposition, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has confirmed that it volition stay wrong the Left Democratic Front (LDF) fold for the upcoming Assembly elections.

The determination followed a tense State committee gathering successful Kozhikode connected Monday, wherever elder leaders successfully neutralised a rebellion from respective territory units that had been campaigning to power implicit to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

The propulsion to exit the Left conjugation followed a drawstring of disappointing results successful section assemblage elections held successful December 2025. District leaders argued that the party’s credibility was astatine involvement aft losing crushed successful cardinal areas, including the Kozhikode Corporation. They blamed the CPI(M) for the decision of each 5 candidates the enactment fielded successful the Corporation, accusing its section leaders of interior sabotage and vote-flipping.

Offers to resign

However, State president M.V. Sreyams Kumar took a hardline stance against the move, informing the committee that switching allegiances truthful adjacent to the polls would beryllium suicidal for the party’s reputation. In a melodramatic turn, Mr. Kumar reportedly offered his resignation, a determination that yet forced the dissenting section leaders to autumn successful enactment and support the existent alliance.

Briefing the media aft the meeting, Mr. Kumar said that the RJD continued to beryllium an integral constituent of the Left’s governing model successful Kerala. Any benignant of disunity successful the front, specified arsenic the allocation of chairpersons for boards and corporations, would beryllium resolved done dialogue, helium said, adding that helium would not beryllium successful the contention for the Assembly polls this time.

Kovalam and Chalakudy

While the RJD has pledged to stay, the enactment volition besides request a larger stock of the pastry during seat-sharing negotiations with the CPI(M). It is seeking to contention 5 Assembly seats, an summation from the 3 it held successful the erstwhile predetermination successful 2021.

Apart from the seats it contested successful the erstwhile elections — Kalpetta, Koothuparamba, and Vadakara — the RJD has its sights firmly acceptable connected Kovalam and Chalakudy segments. The assertion for Kovalam is bolstered by the beingness of Neelalohithadasan Nadar, whose beardown section ties the enactment hopes to capitalise on, enactment sources said.