No end to splits in Kerala congress

It is not surprising to know that the Kerala Congress (M) is heading for another split. After the death of founder K M Mani on April 9, the question was not whether the party will split, but when. Though the division is yet to be formalised, there seems to be no way forward for the two feuding factions—one led by Mani’s son Jose and the other by veteran P J Joseph—than go separate ways. What is significant, though, is the timing, as the party is coming apart when it should be preparing to fight a bypoll—due any time—in the Pala Assembly seat long represented by Mani.

The history of the Kerala Congress, a regional party founded in 1964, is replete with stories of splits, mergers and opportunistic alliances. It was one such split in 1976 that led to the creation of the Kerala Congress (M), which in the days to come emerged as the dominant of all party factions and managed to remain so till now. But that could change soon. Jose may have easily got himself elected as chairman through a shrewd move, but will find holding on to the party that his father built and tightly controlled, a difficult proposition. In comparison, Joseph, who was part of the team that founded the Kerala Congress, has gone through many splits and mergers and knows how to keep himself relevant.

Once formidable, the many Kerala Congress factions have, over the years, ceded ground to national parties. The Kerala Congress (M), bolstered by the merger of the Joseph faction with it, won six seats in the 2016 Assembly polls. The Balakrishna Pillai and Jacob factions won one each. Others scored a zero. Under the present circumstances, the Kerala Congress (M) must stay united to stay alive.  A division could be the beginning of the end for the party. Efforts by the church to end feuding have failed, but Joseph and Jose, and people with them, must put interests of the party above all other concerns if they want the party to survive. Mani used to say Kerala Congress is a party that splits as it grows and grows as it splits. With him gone, that may no longer be the case.