Pala, the Assembly constituency that has been the eye of a storm over a seat row within the Left Democratic Front (LDF), witnessed hectic political activity even as Mani C. Kappan, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader who currently represents the segment, formally announced his plan to switch sides to the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Soon after Mr. Kappan returned to Pala after discussions with NCP president Sharad Pawar, the NCP workers erupted in protest against the legislator and staged a demonstration in the town. In the evening, the LDF workers too staged a protest, accusing Mr. Kappan of cheating the voters.
The faction that supports Mr. Kappan, however, remained unfazed and went ahead with the preparations towards making the leader’s entry into the UDF a grand affair. As many as 250 two-wheelers and a brigade of 1,000 supporters are expected to assist Mr. Kappan when he reaches the venue of the Aishwarya Kerala Yatra led by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday morning.
The breakaway faction of the NCP, which has already been assured of the Pala seat, may also seek validation from the Central Election Commission (CEC) as an unregistered outfit. Besides Pala, the faction may also contest from a couple of more seats.
The hype over the event on Sunday notwithstanding, Mr. Kappan, however, appears to have suffered a set back in his plans to split the party with several of the NCP workers, who were previously close to him, appear reluctant to move against the party’s national leadership. The softening of stance by NCP State president T.P. Peethambaran, who initially appeared favourable towards the demand for a coalition change, is cited as a case in point.
“Only a handful of party workers will go with him and this is not going to make any difference as far as the NCP or the LDF is concerned,” said Subash Punchakottil, NCP State general secretary.
The Kappan faction, on the other hand, claimed that the entire district unit of the NCP in Kottayam would line up behind the MLA on Sunday. “We have assured the support of all nine block committees in Kottayam, besides the seven district presidents and nine State committee members as declared earlier,” said Saju M. Philip, NCP district secretary.