Uncertainty grips political battle in Kottayam

Kottayam Lok Sabha election: A battleground of political factions, rubber crisis, and shifting alliances in central Travancore.

It’s not just the excitement over a direct battle between the Kerala Congress factions or the chaotic political atmosphere triggered by a crisis in the natural rubber sector that is to blame for the uncertainty gripping Kottayam this time.

Instead, it’s the realization that the election’s outcome may serve as a culmination of the numerous twists and turns witnessed in the region’s political landscape since the previous parliamentary election.

The contest for the central Travancore seat commenced early, with rival Kerala Congress factions announcing their candidates in the first half of February. The Kerala Congress (M), emboldened by the support of the organizationally-strong Left Democratic Front alliance, hopes for an encore of 2019 and has fielded the incumbent MP, Thomas Chazhikadan.

The rival faction, on the other hand, looks to cut through the disenchantment of different sections towards the KC(M) as well as the Left Democratic Front government and has brought in K. Francis George, son of the former Kerala Congress leader K.M. George.

The National Democratic Alliance’s unusual and delayed choice to field Tushar Vellappally, president of the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena, has drawn the battle lines further.

Elections in Kottayam have traditionally revolved around natural rubber, or rather the crisis that has engulfed the sector. The scene appears slightly different this time with domestic prices looking up in line with a rise in international prices. The contesting fronts, however, have chosen to stick to the good old tradition, aligning their respective campaigns around the theme.

Alongside, issues like the Manipur violence and attacks on Christians in North India, and the issues pertaining to minority appeasement and protection of Hindu faith, too, have come up to dominate the political discourse.