Thiruvananthapuram: Amid speculation about the Kerala Congress (M), an ally of the ruling Left, shifting to opposition UDF, the Pinarayi Vijayan government Wednesday announced its decision to earmark land for the memorial project of the party’s late founder K.M. Mani.
The LDF government has decided to lease out land at Kowdiar in state capital Thiruvananthapuram to the KM Mani Foundation to set up the KM Mani Memorial Institute for Social Transformation, for a period of 30 years. The move assumes significance as the cabinet decision was announced hours after Mani’s son and current Kerala Congress (M) chief Jose K. Mani pledged his support to the ruling Left front amid speculation of an alliance shift to the UDF.
Addressing a press conference in Kottayam Wednesday, Jose said his party is happy with the Left. “For the last few months, there has been so much discussion on what Kerala Congress (M) and Jose K Mani will do. It means that everyone knows that power is where Kerala Congress (M) is. But I have said that Kerala Congress (M) will be with the Left.”
Jose further said that he was absent from the LDF’s Monday protest against the Centre as he was on a personal visit to Dubai on a personal visit.
The longest serving minister in the Kerala cabinet, who represented Kottayam district’s Pala constituency from its inception in 1965 until his death in 2019, K. M. Mani had founded his faction of the Kerala Congress in 1979. The party has a strong base in Kottayam and neighbouring districts such as Idukki and Pathanamthitta, especially among the Christian community.
A long-time member of the UDF, the Kerala Congress (M) joined the LDF in 2019 following an internal rift. The party’s entry into the LDF helped the Left front make inroads into the Christian community in the 2020 local body polls and the 2021 assembly elections.
However, in the 2025 local body polls, the ruling Left suffered a significant blow, while Kerala Congress (M) too lost its strongholds, including the Pala Municipal Corporation, which it had controlled for decades. The defeat triggered rumours of the party returning to the UDF, which was strengthened by Jose’s repeated absence from key LDF events, including the LDF government’s Monday protest, and the front’s parliamentary meetings.
Around the same time, UDF’s main allies, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Kerala Congress (Joseph) faction, also expressed their willingness to accommodate the Mani group.
Sahayadas, president of the Thiruvananthapuram unit of the Kerala Congress (M), told ThePrint: “People vote for individuals in local body polls. So, there were some problems that we faced then. But the situation for assembly polls is really different, and we are confident of a revival.”
Meanwhile, UDF leaders denied any official talks with the party.
Ramesh Chennithala said the Congress would initiate discussions only if the Kerala Congress (M) expresses any interest in leaving the Left front. “Our decision is to initiate discussions when they show interest. It’s not right to bring a party that is with another front.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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