Unfinished seat sharing clouds UDF’s campaign rollout in Kottayam

With seat sharing talks with Kerala Congress going nowhere, the early surge of confidence within the United Democratic Front (UDF) camp appears beginning to ebb. As negotiations drag on without resolution, the upbeat mood that followed the party’s encouraging performance in the recent local body elections is now threatening to blunt that edge.

According to Congress leaders, the prolonged delay in finalising the seat sharing formula between the Congress and Kerala Congress (Joseph) faction has effectively stalled the candidate selection process. What was planned to be a calibrated and confident rollout of nominees has instead turned into a waiting game for many seats.

At the heart of the tussle lies the question of who gets what. There is strong speculation that the Congress wants to take over at least a couple of seats currently held by Kerala Congress though neither side has publicly committed to specifics. Privately, however, Congress leaders have conveyed that the existing arrangement cannot continue unchanged.

Ettumanoor, Changanassery

Ettumanoor and Changanassery have emerged as the pressure points. The Congress leadership is understood to be particularly keen on these constituencies, citing what it views as the absence of formidable Kerala Congress contenders.

Even as negotiations remain inconclusive, the District Congress Committee in Kottayam has moved ahead with its own groundwork. It has drawn up a preliminary list covering seven of the nine constituencies in the district, including Ettumanoor and Changanassery, and forwarded it to the KPCC.

For the time being, the leadership has accommodated only two non Congress UDF figures, Kerala Congress executive chairman Mons Joseph in Kaduthuruthy and Kerala Democratic Party chairman Mani C. Kappan in Pala.

Kottayam, Puthuppally

Sitting MLAs Chandy Oommen in Puthuppally and Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in Kottayam have secured their places in the KPCC list submitted to the National Screening Committee and both have wasted little time in shifting to campaign mode. “Chandy Oommen has set the tone in Puthuppally with Puthuppally Fest, a cultural outreach programme. In Kottayam, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has begun consolidating his base through a series of meetings across the constituency,” pointed out a senior Congress leader.

But while the incumbents move ahead with visible momentum, several other segments remain clouded by indecision. “The original plan was to have at least a preliminary list ready by the time the Opposition Leader’s rally reached the district. That timeline has slipped. The rally is nearing its conclusion, yet even the contours of available seats are unclear,” the leader added.

In Poonjar, KPCC general secretary Tommy Kallani is in contention. In Kanjirappally and Ettumanoor, senior leader Joseph Vazhakkan and DCC president Nattakam Suresh are being considered Changanassery has its own shortlist, including district panchayat president Joshy Philip and UDF convener Philson Mathews.

But the plot thickens in Kanjirappally as the AICC leadership has reportedly proposed AICC secretary Mathew Antony based on internal survey findings.

In Vaikom, the DCC has recommended district panchayat member Vijayamma Babu and Bijimon. Yet the KPCC is also weighing the possibility of fielding Dalit activist Sunny Kapikad, underscoring a broader effort to recalibrate social equations.