Congress left red-faced in Kerala as internal feud helps rival BJP in local bodies

Just days after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) scripted an emphatic victory in the Kerala local self-government (LSG) elections, the leading party has found itself in a spot. In several grama panchayats, the Congress’s own elected members either put up a revolt or stayed away from crucial voting or enabled alternative majorities that helped the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) despite its limited electoral strength.

The chain of events, which was triggered by an open rebellion in Mattathur grama panchayat in Thrissur district and followed by a disruptive absence in Pellur-Periya panchayat in Kasaragod district and a BJP-backed panchayat presidential poll in Kumarakom in Kottayam district, has exposed the Grand-Old Party’s difficulties in managing post-poll alignments at the local level.

Congress under pressure despite UDF show

The trend, seen across several districts, has put the Congress’s managers under pressure. The most dramatic of the post-election scenarios emerged in Mattathur where eight Congress candidates, elected on the UDF’s ticket, quit the party to join hands with the BJP and alter the council’s balance of power. It exposed deep faultlines within the Congress, which came close to wresting the grama panchayat, which had remained under the Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s rule for a long time, but failed.

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The post-election situation had initially produced a hung council in Mattathur, with neither the LDF nor the UDF enjoying a clear majority. As negotiations continued, the Congress members resigned, citing dissatisfaction with the local leadership and alleging neglect of organisational workers. They declared themselves as Independent and supported an independent candidate backed by the saffron party, enabling her election as the president of the panchayat.

The BJP, which had a minor presence in the council, emerged as a decisive player.

Congress leadership appalled

The developments left the Congress leadership shocked, and it called the revolt a betrayal of the party’s mandate and initiated disciplinary proceedings. Two district-level leaders were also placed under suspension.

Similar patterns unfolded elsewhere as well, underscoring what party insiders acknowledge is a wider problem of organisational discipline and cohesion.

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In Pullur-Periya grama panchayat, a meeting had to be adjourned for want of quorum after the Congress members, along with a lone BJP representative, stayed away from the election, effectively postponing the process. The outcome, otherwise, would have been decided by drawing lots amid unresolved differences within the UDF over its (panchayat) presidential candidate. The council has nine members each from the LDF and the UDF, besides one BJP member.

“The BJP member was present at the panchayat office but left shortly before the meeting, acting in collusion with the Congress,” a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged.

Kasaragod MP points to internal friction

However, Rajmohan Unnithan, Kasaragod MP and senior Congress leader, described the episode as the result of internal discord within the party and alleged that four Congress members had been colluding with the BJP, adding that they should be expelled from the party.

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“The four members who stayed away acted with the tacit support of the BJP member, which exposes the underlying arrangement,” he said.

“The remaining five UDF members did not enter the hall because that would have enabled an easy victory for the LDF. The KPCC (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) leadership must take this seriously; otherwise, I will name the leaders behind these moves,” he added.

BJP plays key role in Kumarakom

In Kumarakom grama panchayat, the BJP again emerged as a power broker, this time by extending support to a UDF-backed independent candidate in the presidential election. The Independent, aligned with the UDF, secured the post with the BJP’s backing, underscoring the growing trend of tactical arrangements that fall short of formal alliances but reshape local power equations.

The incidents have occurred despite a clear directive from the KPCC that any panchayat president who assumes office with the backing of the LDF, BJP or the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) should step down at once. The Congress leaders have been careful to describe the Kumarakom outcome as a “local adjustment” rather than a political realignment.

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However, critics within and outside the party argue that repeated reliance on the BJP’s support — whether active, as in Kumarakom — or indirect, as in Pullur-Periya — risks normalising the BJP’s role in local governance and blurring political lines.

BJP's smart ploy even where it lacks numbers

Political observers note that the BJP has shown increasing skill in exploiting such situations. Even where it lacks the numbers to win outright, it has positioned itself as a decisive actor by extending support to Independents or disaffected members of the rival fronts.

This strategy has allowed it to expand influence without the electoral breakthroughs that have so far eluded it in much of Kerala.

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The Congress leadership has indicated that stricter disciplinary measures and tighter monitoring of elected members are being considered. However, party insiders caution that punitive action alone may not address the underlying causes of dissent, particularly in areas where long-standing factionalism predates the elections.

For LDF, it's an opportunity and warning

For the LDF, the Congress’s troubles present both an opportunity and a warning. While the LDF has criticised the Congress-BJP arrangements as opportunistic, it has also faced its own challenges in managing slim majorities in several panchayats.

As Kerala moves closer to the 2026 Assembly elections, local bodies are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the state’s political momentum. For the Congress, the recent setbacks serve as a reminder that electoral gains at the grassroots can quickly unravel without organisational unity and that even a limited intervention of the BJP can have outsized political consequences when internal discipline falters.