Amid the euphoria of a strong comeback in Kottayam, the United Democratic Front’s march towards power in the Pala municipality has hit an unexpected roadblock.
What should have been a smooth post-poll consolidation has instead turned into a tense political standoff, prompting an inervention by the State leadership of the Congress. The 26-member Pala municipal council has 12 councillors with the Left Democratic Front (LDF), 10 with the UDF, one Congress rebel elected as an independent, and three members belonging to an independent collective.
On paper, the UDF is within striking distance of power while in practice, the negotiations have become a minefield. According to sources, lying at the heart of the impasse is an opening demand by the independent collective seeking both the chairperson and vice-chairperson posts for the first three years. The proposal would see Diya Binu as chairperson and her father, Binu, who leads the collective, simultaneously occupying the vice-chairperson’s post.
While sections of the district Congress leadership appear inclined to accept the demand in the interest of securing numbers, the move has triggered a backlash within the party. All six Congress councillors have reportedly drawn a firm line, warning that conceding both posts to the Pulikkakandam family would set a damaging precedent and weaken the party’s authority within the council. “Handing over both top posts is politically indefensible and could haunt the Congress,” a senior party leader remarked, suggesting that a staggered arrangement would be more equitable.
The complexity deepens within the UDF itself with competing ambitions at play with the Kerala Congress and the lone Congress rebel too staking claims for the chairpersonship, at least for one-year terms. If the independents insist on a three-year tenure, the remaining two years would barely suffice to accommodate all claimants, threatening to unravel the alliance before it takes shape.
Meanwhile, the independent collective has maintained that it has not entered into formal talks with any political front. Instead, soon after taking oath on Sunday, it convened a ‘Janasabha’ (people’s council) in Pala to gauge public opinion on its political stance. Organisers claim the overwhelming mood at the meeting favoured the UDF.
Published – December 22, 2025 08:04 pm IST
