Congress’s deft handling of Padmaja’s loyalty-switch prepares ground for sibling rivalry in Kerala politics

Prathapan, according to party insiders, has been offered an Assembly seat in 2026.

Padmaja Venugopal. (Facebook)

Incidentally, the Congress decided to field Muraleedharan, a former KPCC president, in Thrissur after Padmaja had joined the BJP on Thursday, 7 March. Muraleedharan had by then unofficially commenced campaigning in Vatakara.

The party hopes that Muraleedharan could effectively take on Gopi and LDF’s VS Sunil Kumar, a former Kerala minister, by employing his organisational skills and the ability to reach out even to political rivals and different communities.

Muraleedharan also maintains a good rapport with the powerful Christian community in Thrissur, which has a considerable sway over the electoral preferences of the constituency.
Political circles view the Congress’s decision as a deft move to corner the BJP.

Shafi Parambil in Vatakara

Youth Congress leader Shafi Parambil, who defeated Metroman E Sreedharan of the BJP in a thrilling finish in Palakkad in the 2021 Assembly election, is the Congress’s candidate in Vatakara, once a CPI(M) pocket borough.

KK Shailaja. (X)

Muraleedharan, a surprise last-minute candidate in Vatakara in 2019, has developed a considerable clout there. The Congress hopes that a suave Parambil could keep the momentum going.

Moreover, the party has ensured Muslim representation in the candidates’ list by fielding Parambil, who was reportedly reluctant to contest to the Lok Sabha.

In Vatakara, Parambil has to take on former health minister KK Shailaja, who won worldwide appreciation for her effective handling of the Nipah and Covid-19 outbreaks in the state. The goodwill she enjoys would be a major hurdle for the Congress candidate.

However, the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP), formed by former CPI(M) workers in 2008, could influence the Vatakara electorate. The RMP is now part of the Congress-led UDF.

KPCC president K Sudhakaran, who preferred to opt out of the race this time citing organisational responsibilities, has been fielded in Kannur for another round, with the party finding no substitute to face the challenge posed by CPI (M) local heavyweight MV Jayarajan.

Also Read: Why Padmaja Venugopal joining BJP has made LDF ecstatic

Venugopal in Alappuzha

The Congress has assigned KC Venugopal, AICC general secretary (Organisational matters) the task of recapturing Alappuzha., the lone seat, out of Kerala’s 20, where the LDF had won in 2019. In 2009, Venugopal had won the constituency with a huge majority.

Still, he preferred not to contest last time, and Shanimol Usman, the female face of the party in Kerala, was fielded in Alappuzha. She, however, lost to AM Ariff of the CPI(M). Venugopal was also a three-time MLA from Alappuzha.

In the remaining seats, the Congress preferred to give another term to sitting MPs. Prominent among them are Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad: Congress names 39 candidates

The Rahul effect

The formal announcement of Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Wayanad ended speculations that he might opt for a constituency outside the state, succumbing to the CPI(M)’s pressure in the Opposition INDIA bloc.

Gandhi’s presence in Wayanad is likely to have a domino effect in other constituencies, and it would help consolidate anti-BJP votes in favour of the UDF. Five of the seven Assembly constituencies forming the Wayanad Lok Sabha segment are traditional Congress strongholds.

UDF constituent the Indian Union Muslim League has a firm grip over the remaining two segments, Wandoor and Eranad.

Though the LDF has fielded CPI national executive committee member Annie Raja in Wayanad, she may not affect Gandhi’s prospects. The NDA had planned to field local firebrand tribal leader CK Janu in Wayanad. The BJP is also probing the possibilities of fielding Padamaja.

Meanwhile, the strong anti-incumbency feeling existing in Kerala against the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF government may also be reflected in the Lok Sabha election results.

In Thiruvananthapuram, where Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar is contesting, the Congress hopes for a smooth sailing for Tharoor. Pannyan Raveendran of the CPI is the LDF candidate in Thiruvananthapuram.

Also Read: BJP begins poll campaign in Kerala with Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s roadshow

Importance of Muraleedharan

In 2019, Muraleedharan was the only Congress leader willing to take on the formidable challenge of facing CPI (M) strongman P Jayarajan in Vatakara. The Congress leader was then representing the Vattiyoorkkavu constituency in the Kerala Assembly.

Muraleedharan completed the race defeating Jayarajan by a huge margin. However, in the by-election in Vattiyoorkavu, the CPI(M)’s VK Prashanth, former Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram corporation, romped home.

Muraleedharan contested the 2021 Assembly elections from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram, the state’s only seat the BJP had won. Despite finishing third, his audacity in venturing into uncharted territory won him a large following. His presence had also ensured the defeat of the BJP.

Mureedharan, who grew up in his father’s shadows, began his political career as a worker of the Seva Dal.

In 1989, he was elected for the first time to the Lok Sabha from Kozhikode, defeating EK Imbichi Bava, a senior CPI(M) leader.

He was re-elected in 1991, defeating MP Veerendra Kumar of the Janata Dal. In the 1996 general election, Kumar took revenge, defeating him. Yet another defeat followed as CPI veteran VV Raghavan won the 1998 Lok Sabha election in Thrissur. Infighting was then rocking the Congress in Kerala.

In 1999, he reclaimed the Kozhikode seat by defeating Janata Dal’s national leader and former Union minister CM Ibrahim.

He had also served as the general secretary, vice president, and president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

Also Read: MoS and Congress MP take digs at each other’s political career

Fall and rise of Muraleedharan

In February 2004, the then chief minister AK Antony drafted Muraleedharan — who was not an MLA — into the Cabinet as the minister for power. However, he had to resign in May after biting the dust in the Wadakkancherry by-election.

K Karunakaran with AK Antony. (File Photo/Supplied)

A few Congress leaders headed by Karunakaran and Muraleedharan, left the party in 2005 following differences with the leadership and the UDF. They floated a political party, the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) (DIC[K])).

The new party fought the 2005 election to the local bodies in alliance with the LDF. A year later, the LDF refused to collaborate with DIC (K), and Karunakaran and his party allied with the UDF. In the 2006 Assembly election, DIC(K) contested in 17 constituencies, and won only one.

Cross-voting at the local levels was then blamed for DIC(K)’s abysmal performance, including in Koduvally, where Muraleedharan went down to PTA Rahim of the LDF.

Later, a few DIC(K) leaders, who had differences with Karunakaran, joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), as their party’s future appeared bleak. Karunakaran and the remaining leaders returned to the Congress. However, Muraleedharan remained with the NCP and condemned his father’s “betrayal”.

Muraleedharan, who ran on an NCP ticket in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from the Wayanad constituency, finished third behind the Congress and the CPI.

The NCP expelled him after he overtly declared his intention to re-affiliate with the Congress in August 2009. He was then the NCP’s state chief.

Muraleedharan’s return to the Congress was not smooth. The party leadership objected to readmitting him, citing his derogatory remarks against them. Muraleedharan vowed to “wait for any length of time” for the party to reconsider and readmit him.

Meanwhile, his father Karunakaran threatened to take the matter to the attention of the Congress high command. In February 2011, Muraleedharan was readmitted to the Congress and fielded in Vattiyurkavu (formerly the Thiruvananthapuram North) Assembly constituency.

He won his first Assembly election defeating the ruling CPI-M-supported independent candidate Cherian Philip by a margin of over 16,167 votes on 14 May 2011. In 2016, he secured a second term by a margin of 7,622 votes, defeating Kummanam Rajasekharan of the BJP.

UDF partners in four seats

Only three of the alliance partners of Congress in Kerala are contesting this time. IUML’s ET Muhammed Basheer will contest from Malappuram, while Abdussamad Samadani, also of the Muslim League, will try his luck from Ponnani.

NK Premachandran, the popular sitting MP of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), is contesting again from Kollam. In Kottayam, Kerala Congress (J)’s Francis George is the Congress candidate.