Kerala: Rahul Mamkootathil's triumph highlights Cong's continued dominance

It was a decisive and electrifying win for the Congress. It was a win against the throttling tactics of both the CPI(M) and the BJP. Rahul Mamkootathil’s triumph in Kerala’s Palakkad, where he defeated his closest rival, the BJP’s C. Krishnakumar, by a commanding margin of 18,840 votes, highlights the Congress’ continued dominance in the state.

With this victory, the Congress has successfully retained the Palakkad assembly seat in the by-election, securing 58,389 votes in total. The by-poll was necessitated after Shafi vacated the seat to represent Vadakara in the Lok Sabha.

Congress MP and general-secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said the victory sends a clear message: Kerala will not tolerate those who use communal tactics to undermine its democratic fabric. "The LDF’s assertion that the UDF’s victory in Palakkad is a victory for communalism is utterly laughable. The CPI(M) is clearly frustrated by the UDF’s success in Palakkad and the BJP’s defeat there," he added.

Soon after the Congress victory in Palakkad, local self-government minister M.B. Rajesh acknowledged the organisational weaknesses in the assembly segment. However, he went on to label the UDF's win as communal, claiming that the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India), along with Jamaat, had fostered 'communal polarisation' which, according to him, benefited the UDF.

The victory marks the largest-ever winning margin in the constituency, surpassing the previous record set by Shafi in 2016, when he won by a margin of 17,483 votes. Youth Congress state president Mamkootathil's entry into the Kerala assembly solidifies his position as Shafi's successor and strengthens the Congress’ presence in the region.

The Palakkad bypoll was characterised by a campaign marked by controversy, much of it centred around the Congress. However, Mamkootathil's win has proven to be a clear endorsement of the party's strength in the face of these challenges.

In the aftermath of his victory, Mamkootathil expressed his gratitude, describing himself as a fortunate candidate. "The entire Congress leadership took significant initiative in this election, allowing me to focus solely on engaging with the public. Shafi Parambil and V.K. Sreekandan played crucial roles in the campaign. Their efforts have been a huge motivation for ordinary workers like me, who have no political godfather," he remarked.

Commenting on the decisive victory, Shafi hailed it as a win for the secular people of Palakkad and urged the media not to communalise the success of the UDF.

Dr P. Sarin, the LDF-backed Independent candidate who had stirred controversy with his sudden defection from the Congress, finished in third place. Despite the media hype surrounding his candidacy, Sarin’s performance was underwhelming as he secured only 37,293 votes — 2,256 fewer than the BJP’s total.

The by-election carried immense significance for the Congress, as it sought to retain one of its key strongholds, even in the face of a reduced voter turnout of 70.51 per cent, down from 75.37 per cent in 2021.

Palakkad became the focal point of intense campaigning, with the BJP placing its highest hopes on winning the seat, which would have been a major blow to the Congress, especially after the BJP's success in the Congress' Thrissur seat during the Lok Sabha elections.

From the moment the names of the candidates were announced, the CPI(M) and BJP tried to malign Mamkootathil, falsely claiming he was simply Shafi’s nominee, rather than a representative of the Congress. While Shafi’s opinion did matter in the matter of seat allocations, it was Mamkootathil's winnability that ultimately secured the nomination.

This caused resentment in Sarin, who had also hoped to secure the seat. After being passed over, Sarin resigned from Congress and joined the LDF as an Independent candidate, having previously served as social media head for the Congress in Kerala.

Midnight suitcase drama

As the campaign unfolded, Kerala Police raided a hotel where several Congress leaders were staying on the night of 5 November. The incident sparked protests and widespread resentment. The police claimed they were investigating alleged black money, though no evidence was found to support the accusation. A large team from both North and South police stations conducted the raid, but they later confirmed that no black money was recovered.

In response to the raid, Mamkootathil went live on Facebook in the early hours of next morning, clarifying his whereabouts and addressing the allegations. Speaking from Kozhikode at around 2.30 am, he firmly denied any connection to the alleged black money scandal.

The controversy surrounding a blue trolley bag, seen in CCTV footage at the hotel, which the LDF claimed contained black money allegedly channelled by the UDF to influence voters, intensified political tensions. Congress leaders dismissed these claims as unfounded and exaggerated.

United Congress machinery

The Congress machinery worked tirelessly to secure Mamkootathil’s victory. The highly active election committee office in Palakkad, led by Congress spokesperson Jyotikumar Chamakkala, and the coordination efforts of Congress Palakkad MP V.K. Sreekandan, were instrumental in the campaign. Remarkably, Sreekandan had been the only one to predict a decisive victory for Mamkootathil, with a margin of over 15,000 votes.

After his win, Mamkootathil took a swipe at the CPI(M), stating, "I thank the CPI(M) for calling me Shafi's nominee. It actually made my campaign easier, as people recognised me as Shafi's nominee. I only wish they had also referred to me as Sreekandan's nominee in their campaigns."

Kerala’s leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan called Mamkootathil’s massive victory a clear message from the people of Palakkad against the “communally-loaded misinformation campaign” run by the CPI(M) and BJP. Satheesan pointed out that Mamkootathil’s victory margin had increased nearly five-fold compared to Shafi Parambil’s margin in the 2021 Assembly election, sending a strong message that only the UDF is capable of stopping the BJP.

“The CPI(M) and BJP had jointly fought the UDF in Palakkad. In fact, CPI(M) had tried to weaken Congress and the UDF, not the BJP,” Satheesan added.