The Kerala BJP on Friday got an opportunity to heave a sigh of relief as the focus of campaigning for the crucial civic election, polling for the first phase of which is to be held on Monday, shifted from beef-related controversies to the bar bribery scandal involving Finance and law Minister KM Mani following Thursday’s order of a court for further probe into it.

Though its traditional political foes are the Congress and the ruling UDF it is leading, the Kerala left had channelised its entire energy to attacking the BJP accusing it of communalism, fascism and corporate leaning ever since that party and the SNDP Yogam, outfit of Hindu lower caste Ezhavas who constitute over 21 per cent of the State’s population, agreed in principle to have an understanding for the local bodies election.

The UDF was not very enthusiastic about attacking the BJP in the beginning of campaigning but the ruling front also began to target it following the Dadri incident and other developments and the anti-BJP campaign by both the left and the ruling front peaked in the State this week in the context of the alleged police inspection at the canteen of the Kerala House in Delhi for beef.

“But the situation has changed all of a sudden,” said a Kochi-based poll-watcher. “The CPI(M) and the Opposition lDF, which had been disappointed at their own failure to make any gains through their agitations over the bar bribery scandal, have been reenergised with the court order against the Finance Minister. The lDF now feels that the order can be a sharp weapon against the UDF in the poll though the opportunity has come a bit late,” he added.

Seven of the 14 districts in the State will go to polls on Monday for the civic election and polling in the remaining seven districts will take place on November 5. Sources in the Congress admitted that the order of the Special Vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram against the Finance Minister could take away the upper hand the UDF had in the election till now. 

The reemergence of the bar bribery scandal on the political scene following the court order against Mani and the Vigilance bureau has helped the BJP, which had been pushed into the defensive for some time by the several beef-related controversies, to be aggressive once again in the election front. Despite this fear, CM Oommen Chandy on Friday continued to defend Mani, who could have taken bribe from bar owners according to the court, and ruled out his resignation even as divisions appeared in the Congress and Mani’s party, the Kerala Congress (M), over the need of defending him.

While Chandy reiterated that there was no need for Mani to resign in the context of the court order as it was not the final word of law, senior Congress leader AK Antony and State party president VM Sudheeran seemed to hold a different view. “These are questions of political morality. It is a subjective matter,” Antony said. Differences have arisen within the Kerala Congress (M), third biggest UDF constituent, over Mani’s conduct regarding the court order. Rejecting the demand of a section for a meeting of the high-power committee, party chairman Mani said, “I have not demanded bribe nor have I taken it. I am not that kind of a person... The committee will meet when it should meet.”

The UDF Government is unlikely to appeal against the Vigilance court order but the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, whose Director had received flak from the court for interfering in the probe against Mani, has reportedly sought the Government’s permission to file an appeal.