The Indian National Congress which faced a total rout in the Assembly election held earlier this year is on a resurgent mood while dissension is brewing up in the CPI(M), a political outfit that looked invincible till a few weeks ago.
It may be a strange coincidence that two name-sakes in these parties have emerged as forces that call the shots capable of making or marring their fortunes in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front had trounced the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and wrested the power in the State in the 2016 assembly election. But the UDF swept the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the State by winning 19 out of the 20 constituencies. The 2021 assembly election saw the CPI(M) returning to the State Secretariat with increased numbers and, a unique phenomenon in Kerala politics. The Congress High Command elected a new team of office bearers for the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. Veteran leader K Sudhakaran, a mass leader who is also a tough task master, was appointed as PCC chief while V D Satheeshan was appointed as Leader of the Opposition overlooking the claims of Ramesh Chennithala, the LoP during the 2016-2021 assembly. “It is known to all that K Sudhakaran has a mass following in the State,” said Hari S Kartha, former chief editor, Janmabhumi. G Sudhakaran, former minister in the governments led by late E K Nayanar, V S Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan, is the new eyesore for a section of leaders in the CPI(M). Like his name sake in the Congress, Sudhakaran is a typical Communist leader moulded in the old school of thought. He was not given party ticket in the 2021 assembly election despite his clean performance as the minister for Public Works Department. No PWD ministers in the past had completed their tenures without any blemish and Sudhakaran was an exception. “Vijayan is afraid of Sudhakaran outclassing him as a party leader and administrator. Moreover his principled stance against religious fundamentalism of any kind has made him dear to all,” said Kartha.
The Islamists in the CPI(M) do not want Sudhakaran anywhere near the corridors of power and that could be the reason why he was denied a party ticket. He has been censured by the party leadership openly for his indifference towards the tough fight his successor had to face in Alappuzha during the 2021 assembly election. The run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is of crucial for the CPI(M) which is hopeful of being the part of a government that would be formed in the centre.