In Kerala, IUML’s CM pitch for 2026 polls sets off UDF churn, worries Cong

Replying to a question connected a main curate from the IUML successful the lawsuit of the UDF winning the polls, Thangal said, “It volition hap if the Congress is willing”. He past said “the main curate is already here”, pointing to his elder enactment workfellow P K Kunhalikutty, who was besides there.

On the IUML’s chances of getting a lawman CM’s post, Thangal said: “That volition surely happen. The awesome of Kunhalikutty is Kerala authorities 2 (which means lawman CM successful Kerala with ‘Kerala authorities one’ referring to the CM).”

Thangal said Kunhalikutty volition beryllium starring the IUML successful the Assembly elections. “Kunhalikutty volition beryllium heading from the front,” helium said.

The Congress has not officially reacted to the IUML’s readiness to caput the UDF, adjacent arsenic it is aiming to get the amended of the ruling CPM-led LDF successful 2026 aft losing the polls successful 2016 and 2021. Several elder Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition (LoP) V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and All India Congress Committee (AICC) wide caput K C Venugopal, are seen successful the enactment circles arsenic frontrunners successful the CM race.

Expressing interest implicit the row, elder Congress person and ex-home curate Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said, “Let america archetypal effort to triumph the elections. The contented of the CM emerges lone aft winning the elections. The archetypal precedence should beryllium warring the elections unitedly and the remainder lone aft that.”

Congress sources said the IUML’s bid to commencement a statement connected the CM station whitethorn harm the UDF’s prospects successful the elections.

The IUML had headed a authorities successful Kerala successful 1979 nether its main curate C H Mohammed Koya. His authorities lasted for lone 3 months (October-December, 1979) though.

Over the past respective decades, the IUML has been a cardinal state of the Congress successful Kerala arsenic good arsenic astatine the Centre. In North Kerala, the IUML is considered arsenic the UDF’s “lifeline”.

The IUML wielded tremendous clout successful the erstwhile UDF regimes of 2001-2006 and 20011-2016. The enactment past utilized to grip cardinal portfolios of education, nationalist works, industries, and section self-government.

In 2012, the IUML had unilaterally announced its 5th curate successful the past Oommen Chandy-led UDF government, embarrassing the Congress leadership.

Months earlier the 2021 Kerala polls, Kunhalikutty had discontinue arsenic a Lok Sabha MP to contention the Assembly elections. His instrumentality to the Assembly, hardly 2 years aft winning the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, was construed arsenic an IUML crippled program to elevate him to the lawman CM’s relation successful the lawsuit of the UDF’s win. Some adjacent believed that the Congress suffered a “backlash” from its Hindu and Christian ballot banks arsenic a fallout of the run that Kunhalikutty would beryllium the lawman CM.

The caller statement triggered by the IUML’s CM transportation has travel astatine a clip erstwhile a conception of Hindus and Christians is said to beryllium leaning towards the BJP successful immoderate belts.

In the Assembly elections successful the past 2 decades, the IUML’s show has been accordant adjacent erstwhile the Congress suffered debacles. In 2001, erstwhile the UDF clinched the polls by winning 99 seats retired of 140, the Congress won 63 seats portion the IUML got 16. In 2011, erstwhile the UDF returned to power, the Congress was reduced to 38 seats portion the IUML got 20. In 2016, erstwhile the LDF clinched the polls, the Congress got lone 22 arsenic compared to the IUML’s 18. In the 2021 elections, erstwhile CM Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF returned to powerfulness for a 2nd consecutive term, the Congress and the IUML won 21 seats and 15 seats respectively.

Gearing up to instrumentality connected the Congress successful the 2026 polls, the CPM took a swipe astatine the “power tussle” successful the UDF. Addressing the CPM territory league successful Ernakulam recently, enactment person P Rajeeve said, “Congress leaders look menace for the LoP station successful the Assembly. They request not interest astir the CM’s post. They should interest whether the Opposition leader’s station volition spell to IUML.”

In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the CPM sought to woo the IUML successful a bid to grow its basal among minorities, hailing the enactment for its “secular stand” and indicating that “Left doors would beryllium unfastened for IUML”. In its campaign, the Left refrained from targeting the IUML portion attacking the Congress connected assorted issues. It adjacent warmed up to the pro-IUML cleric assemblage SAMASTHA.

However, aft suffering a rout successful the Lok Sabha polls – which saw the LDF triumph conscionable 1 spot retired of 20 arsenic against the UDF’s 18 seats and the BJP’s 1 seat, its first-ever – the CPI(M) abandoned its brushed enactment towards the IUML, calling it the look of right-wing Muslim outfits successful the state.