Thiruvananthapuram: The electoral battle in Kerala has traditionally been seen as a contest between the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
But as the southern state gears up for Assembly elections next month, the UDF has assembled an unusual coalition that cuts across ideological lines, including smaller communist splinter groups, rebels from its main rival CPI(M), and local players.
While the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) remains the Congress’s largest ally in Kerala, the UDF also includes parties with roots in Marxism and socialism, ideologies typically associated with its traditional rival LDF, such as the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI), and the Communist Marxist Party (CMP).
Adding to this mix is the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)’s P.V. Anvar, a former LDF-backed independent MLA from Malappuram who later joined the party and is now contesting as an independent UDF candidate from Beypore in Kozhikode district. The AITC is the Congress’s rival in West Bengal.
In the 9 April Assembly polls, the UDF is also backing four CPI(M) rebels contesting as independents after quitting their party in the run-up to the polls amid internal dissent: senior leader and former minister G. Sudhakaran in Ambalappuzha, V. Kunjikrishnan in Payyannur, T.K. Govindan in Talipparamba, and former MLA P.K. Sasi in Ottapalam.
The broad coalition underscores the stakes for the Congress, which is seeking a return to power in one of its strongest bastions after two consecutive terms in opposition.
This alliance has drawn criticism from political opponents who questioned its ideological coherence. A.A. Rahim, a CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP, said the Congress lacked ideological consistency and had accommodated leaders facing serious allegations.
“Why would they vote for Congress? The moment they come to power, they will start fighting for power,” he said.
Communist leaders in Congress
The dominance of the two parties—and the alliances they led—started taking shape in the late 1970s, when smaller parties consolidated into the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF after decades of unstable coalition governments marked by frequent collapses and shifting alliances.
While the Congress initially built its coalition around allies like the IUML and Kerala Congress factions, it began accommodating Left splinter groups from the 1990s.
One of the earliest such entrants was the Communist Marxist Party (CMP), formed in 1986 by expelled CPI(M) leader M. V. Raghavan.
A prominent leader from Kannur, Raghavan was expelled over his ‘alternative document’, which proposed broader alliance-building, including with parties like the IUML and Kerala Congress, an approach rejected by the CPI(M).
After joining the UDF, the leader went on to serve as an MLA from constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram district and held the cooperation portfolio in two UDF governments.
Rooted in Marxism, the CMP has shifted between the LDF and UDF over the years. It aligned with the UDF in the run-up to the 2021 Assembly polls, contesting one seat in Thiruvananthapuram Central unsuccessfully. The party has been allotted the same seat again in 2026.
Similarly, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), formed in 1940 as a breakaway from the Congress Socialist Party, advocates revolutionary socialism.
The party was earlier part of the LDF but exited the front in the late 1970s following internal disagreements. Its Kerala unit, led by Baby John, joined the UDF, while a faction remained with the LDF.
In Kerala, the RSP built its base through the trade union movement. The party retains a strong presence in Kollam district, where it also has a Lok Sabha MP, N.K. Premachandran.
Outside the state, however, the RSP continues to align with left parties in states such as West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha.
Another communist presence in the UDF is the RMPI, formed in 2008 by T.P. Chandrasekharan in Kozhikode district’s Onchiyam region.
A former CPI(M) leader, Chandrasekharan was expelled from the CPI(M) following differences with the party’s local leadership. He was hacked to death in 2012, in a case that led to the conviction of three CPI(M) members.
The party is now led by his wife K.K. Rema, a former SFI activist, who represents the Vadakara constituency in Kozhikode. The party also has a limited presence in Punjab, though not electorally significant.
Other partners
The principal ally of the Congress in Kerala is the IUML, which is contesting 25 seats in these Assembly polls.
The party has representation in both Houses of Parliament, including Lok Sabha MPs from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and a Rajya Sabha member, in addition to 15 MLAs in the outgoing Kerala Assembly.
Other allies of the Congress include Kerala Congress factions such as the Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Kerala Congress (Jacob), both splinter groups of the original Kerala Congress formed in 1964 by K.M. George after breaking away from the Congress.
Over the decades, the Kerala Congress witnessed multiple splits, including those led by R. Balakrishna Pillai and K.M. Mani, who are both with the LDF now.
P.J. Joseph, who leads Kerala Congress (Joseph), has represented the Thodupuzha constituency multiple times and held ministerial positions in successive governments. His party is contesting eight seats in the current Assembly polls.
The Kerala Congress (Jacob) was formed by T. M. Jacob after internal disagreements within the Joseph faction.
Another UDF partner in central Travancore is the Kerala Democratic Party (KDP), led by Mani C. Kappan. A former member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Kappan left the LDF ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections following a seat-sharing dispute. He is now contesting from his seat in Pala against Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K. Mani.
The UDF has also allotted the Beypore seat to the Kerala unit of the All India Trinamool Congress, fielding P.V. Anvar, a former LDF-backed independent MLA from Nilambur.
Anvar left the LDF in September 2024 after criticising the party and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, floated his own outfit, the Democratic Movement of Kerala, and later joined the AITC in early 2025. He is now contesting against CPI(M) leader and minister P.A. Muhammad Riyas in Beypore.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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