Kerala - Kottayam   

Kerala Congress(J)-IFDP parleys enter crucial phase

George Jacob

Clear picture probably by next week; LDF stance vital

KOTTAYAM: With the local bodies elections round the corner, the political alignments in central Travancore area are once again in for fine-tuning. And as always, it is the various Kerala Congress factions that are taking the lead in the operations. Since the factions led by T.M. Jacob and R. Balakrishna Pillai have decided to wind up their operations as independent entities, the field is now left open to the remaining three Kerala Congress factions and the Indian Federal Democratic Party led by P.C. Thomas, a former Kerala Congressman.

Interestingly, the one faction that has succeeded in consistently taking advantage of the confusions appears to be the LDF partner, the Kerala Congress (Joseph). The KC(J) had emerged as a rallying point for the rebels in the factions led by Mr. Pillai and Mr. Jacob. When Mr. Pillai went along with the decision to merge with the Janata Dal (S), most of the leaders in their strong hold in Kollam chose to join the KC(J). The confusion in the Jacob-faction too had come as a boon for the party and as it could attract a large number of second rung leaders in Mr. Jacob's strongholds. In fact, the party even managed to eat into the Kerala Congress (Mani)'s base taking away some of the key leaders from Idukki district.

The party has already started dialogues with the IFDP, which is now a member of the BJP-led NDA. One major bottleneck in the complex process of entering into the LDF would be the association of Mr. Thomas with the BJP, it is pointed out. However, both the parties are on a confident footing following the developments in the Janata Dal (S) front, which has managed to get a green signal for merger with the Pillai faction and the tacit willingness on the part of the coalition to have tactical rapport with the National Congress (Indira).

In fact, one of the new developments in the recent realignments is the role being played by the Catholic Church hierarchy, it is pointed out. In other words, if the parleys succeed, the new entity would emerge as the LDF window into the Christian heartland. While both the parties are tight-lipped over the issue, the next few days would give a clearer picture, it is pointed out. The State conference of the Kerala Congress (Joseph) is scheduled for August 24 and is expected to come up with a new development platform for all like-minded persons to share, while the IFDP's schedule two days later would discuss the local bodies elections and political issues. These meetings may turn crucial, as it would shed more light on the contours of the emerging scenario.

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