Kerala local body polls: Elections in Pala heat up as CPI(M) renegade comes up with family alliance

The political theatre in the Pala municipality, already simmering since the Left Democratic Front’s turbulent power shift in 2023, has now erupted into a fresh act. And at the centre of this new twist stands a familiar, controversial figure: Binu Pulikkakkandam.

What began in January 2023 as a routine disagreement over the LDF’s chairman nominee quickly snowballed into a full-blown rupture within the coalition. The Kerala Congress (M), the dominant partner in the Pala front, rejected the CPI(M)’s choice of Mr. Pulikkakkandam, triggering months of friction that ultimately culminated in his expulsion from the party.

Now, with the municipality heading into another round of civic elections next month, the sidelined strongman has re-emerged with an unconventional political formation of his own.

A businessman-turned-politician who has weathered Pala’s shifting political landscape since 2005, Mr. Pulikkakkandam is now attempting something audacious: a family-driven political front.

In a move that has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum, he has assembled a three-member alliance comprising only his close family. Under the plan, Mr. Pulikkakkandam will contest from Ward 14, while his daughter Diya, a graduate in economics from Madras Christian College who is preparing to pursue an MBA , will enter the race from Ward 15, the seat held by her father now. His brother Biju Pulikkakandam, who has long worked closely with Union Minister Suresh Gopi, will contest from Ward 13.

Reinvention, of course, is nothing new for Mr. Pulikkakkandam. Over the past two decades, he has worn multiple political hats, as an Independent, BJP councillor, and CPI(M) councillor. And his latest experiment draws on a familiar playbook. In 2010, he led a mini-independent collective in the same region, contesting alongside Independents Ranjini Pradeep and Latha Mohan and made surprising inroads.

The defining theme of all his political manoeuvres, however, has remained unchanged over the years: a fierce opposition to Jose K. Mani, chairman of the Kerala Congress M).

“We’re reviving that model because it worked,” he says. “ The Thekkekkara region across the Meenachil river, in which these three wards are located, has remained neglected for years. As Independents, we could push through development projects others hesitated to take up.”

This year, the three wards are again poised for a razor-thin contest, and Mr. Pulikkakkandam’s re-entry now as a CPI(M) renegade, injects an unpredictable element into the political mix. In Ward 14, he faces CPI(M) branch secretary Satheesh and BJP leader Anil Njalikkanadam, setting the stage for a tense triangular fight.

Adding another twist, despite Mr. Pulikkakkandam being the sole CPI(M) councillor in the outgoing council elected under the party’s official symbol, the CPI(M) has opted not to field candidates under its symbol this time.