Twenty20, AAP determined to prove their mettle in Kochi Corporation polls

Twenty20, the political outfit backed by Kitex Group, is contesting in 56 divisions, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in four divisions, and the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a constituent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), in nine divisions after the electoral fray took shape following the last day for withdrawal of nominations on Monday.

While Twenty20 chairman Sabu M. Jacob had announced that his outfit would contest in all 76 divisions in the Corporation, the party had to drop out of contest in 20 divisions after failing to identify suitable candidates. The candidates were selected following a scrutiny process led by Mr. Jacob.

Asked how many divisions the party was in with a chance, V. Gopakumar, State vice president of Twenty20, claimed it was a potent force in all 56. “We are confident of ensuring the victory of 39 candidates, which is the magic number to achieve majority in the Corporation. In Ernakulam, Thrikkakara and Thripunithura Assembly constituencies, which make up the Kochi Corporation, we have fielded 19, 16, and 5 candidates respectively,” he said.

Mr. Gopakumar added that the party’s scrutiny process required potential candidates to produce police verification certificates. Known faces from other political parties, or those denied tickets elsewhere, were not considered. A minimum educational qualification was also mandatory. “Since the NDA is not a force to reckon with in the Corporation, our principal rivals are the LDF and the UDF,” he said.

Twenty20 is making its debut in the Corporation and three other municipalities—Maradu, Thrikkakara, and Thripunithura. It contested only in four panchayats in the district—Kizhakkambalam, Aikkaranadu, Kunnathunadu, and Mazhuvannur—where it managed to secure power in 2020. This time, it is contesting in more panchayats in Ernakulam, as well as local bodies in Kollam, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts.

Brief alliance

The AAP is contesting in Ayyappankkavu, Stadium, Nazareth and Chullikkal divisions. “Our candidate Sujith Sukumaran in Ayyappankkavu has a real chance,” said Vinod Mathew Wilson, State president of the party. Interestingly, the AAP and Twenty20 had a brief alliance, which eventually collapsed. Twenty20 had even hosted AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal at its stronghold in Kizhakkambalam in 2022. The party did not contest the last local body polls.

The BDJS, which was originally allotted 12 seats in the Corporation, has returned three. While the official explanation is that the BJP sought Padivattom and Chalikkavattom divisions to contest, and Gandhi Nagar was given to the Shiv Sena, reports suggest that the party struggled to find candidates.

A notable absence from the electoral arena this time is V4 Kochi, a political movement that contested in 59 divisions in 2020 and secured a vote share of over 10%, skewing the contest in many divisions. “We have refrained from contesting in the Corporation this time after Twenty20 and the AAP announced that they would contest in a majority of divisions, and also because we felt the time was not yet ripe for our humanism-based ideology. But both outfits have betrayed people and turned out to be opportunistic,” said Nipun Cherian, chief of V4 Kochi.