Thiruvananthapuram: With the Kerala local body elections just days away, local political dynamics are altering the borders of statewide coalitions, resulting in odd tie-ups and battles, with allies opposing each other and rivals banding together.

The state’s local body elections are planned to take place in two parts, on December 9 and 11, with results announced on December 13.

The state’s politics have generally been dominated by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), which is led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), and the Congress-led United Democratic Front.

The LDF, led by the CPI(M), includes the CPI, Kerala Congress (M), and Janata Dal (Secular). The UDF, led by Congress, is made up of the Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Joseph), Kerala Congress (Jacob), Revolutionary Socialist Party, and a number of smaller parties.

While these alliances remain intact at the state level, new ties are being formed at the grassroots, and in some cases, partners are fighting each other.

For example, in Malappuram district’s Ponmundam village panchayat, the Congress has formed a local-level alliance with Left parties, and its candidate faces off against the IUML, the party’s largest ally in the state.

The IUML is returning the favour by fielding candidates in all 18 wards, including 13 for the Congress and five for the Left parties.

“The Congress and the CPI (M) are running together as Janakeeya Munnani (loosely translated as People’s Alliance). P. Hamza, an IUML councillor in Ponmundam, stated that this panchayat (Ponmundam) has never had a bigger UDF alliance; it has not existed since the panchayat’s formation.

Hamza stated that the only political parties functioning in the panchayat are the IUML and the Congress. He stated that the Congress has resolved to form an opposition party here in collaboration with a weakened Left.

P.K. Hydros, a Congress functionary in Ponmundam, said his party joined hands with the Left as there is strong anti-incumbency in the IMUL-ruled panchayat.

“The IUML has held control here for 15 years. There is significant anti-incumbency feeling. So, whoever runs, there is unanimous support for it.” Hydros added the state Congress leadership is also aware of the deal.

He stated that in 1995, the CPI (M) competed with the Congress for control in the panchayat, whereas the Left allied with the IUML in 2000.

According to Hydros, the UDF coalition would not run for another local body in the district, Peruvathany village panchayat, because the Congress withdrew from the race after seat-sharing talks failed.

“This does not imply animosity. Local elections are based on local feelings. Allies occasionally compete with one another. Or they revolt against their own party,” Hydros added, adding that the state leadership may not be aware of it.

Allies go up against each other

While the IUML dominates Malappuram politics, and its ally in the state Congress is fighting it, seat-sharing agreements have failed in other parts of the state, causing friends to battle each other.

For instance, in Alappuzha’s Kuttanad, the CPI is running against the CPI(M) in various local bodies. The CPI is only contesting 11 wards across three local bodies in the region. In the Ramankary village panchayat, the party is running alone in six of the 14 wards.

“Ramankary has 14 seats (wards). We sought four because we are powerful here. But they promised to give us one if we needed one,” claimed Rajendra Kumar, a CPI leader in the Kuttanad region.

He noted that the CPI(M) and the Congress had previously collaborated in the region on local politics.

Kumar, a former CPI(M) member and president of the Ramankary Panchayat, defected to the CPI after the Congress, with the support of the CPI(M), filed a no-confidence motion against him in May 2024. The presidency was then transferred to Congress.