Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: The Congress party in Kerala has begun deploying its successful Assembly by-election blueprint for the upcoming corporation polls across the state, setting an ambitious target of capturing the administration of at least four of the six corporations.
Aiming to replicate the momentum gained in recent by-polls, the core of the new strategy is the early announcement of candidates, well ahead of or immediately following the official election notification. This move is designed to minimize infighting and streamline campaign operations from the outset.
The strategy was first implemented in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, where the party rolled out a 48-member candidate list and, crucially, projected former MLA K.S. Sabarinadhan as the Mayor candidate. This upfront projection of a key leader for the top post signals a shift towards decisive political messaging. Similar early announcements are expected in the coming days for the remaining five corporations, including Kochi.
Streamlined Candidate Selection and Senior Leadership
In a significant departure from past practices often marred by ‘rebel’ candidates, the party leadership has prioritized names proposed by local committees and validated by internal survey reports assessing winnability. This streamlined process is intended to ensure unit and focus.
To oversee the high-stakes battle, senior party leaders have been assigned direct charge of the corporations:
- Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran leader K. Muraleedharan is providing overall supervision, with Minister V.S. Sivakumar handling ground-level strategy.
- Kochi: Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan is directly coordinating the election efforts.
- Kozhikode: Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala is in charge.
- Kannur: KPCC former President K. Sudhakaran is leading the charge.
- Thrissur: The campaign is being managed by T.N. Prathapan.
Currently, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) holds power only in Kannur Corporation, with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) controlling the other five. The party views a strong showing in these local body elections as absolutely vital, as the results will serve as a crucial barometer just months before the next Assembly elections.
UDF leaders have indicated that the campaign will focus heavily on highlighting the state government’s alleged administrative failures, alongside local-level corruption and misgovernance under the incumbent LDF administrations. This two-pronged attack aims to convert public dissatisfaction with both state and civic bodies into votes for the UDF.
