Turncoat Politics Takes Center Stage in Palakkad Assembly By-Election Campaign
Palakkad: As the election campaign for the Palakkad Assembly by-election in Kerala comes to a close on Monday, the spotlight has been firmly placed on the shifting allegiances of key political figures. The by-election, set to take place on Wednesday, follows the vacancy created by the resignation of four-time Congress legislator Shafi Parambil, who vacated the seat after his election to the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency. Parambil, who narrowly won in the 2021 Assembly elections by a margin of less than 4,000 votes against BJP’s E. Sreedharan, had been a prominent figure in the local political scene.
The primary story of this by-election, however, revolves around the high-profile shift of Congress leaders to other political parties, with the most notable being Dr. P. Sarin, a former Congress candidate who contested and lost the Ottapalam Assembly seat in 2021. Sarin’s decision to join the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has sparked considerable controversy. He was reportedly unhappy with the Congress’s decision not to field him for the Palakkad by-election, prompting him to switch loyalties. The CPI(M) quickly named him as its candidate, which led to a flurry of reactions on social media, many mocking the party and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for embracing a former Congress leader.
The move has set the stage for a fierce battle, as Congress candidate Rahul Mamkoothathil, who hails from the Pathanamthitta district, faces criticism from local leaders who have labeled him an “outsider.” Despite initial enthusiasm for Mamkoothathil, internal party infighting has made his campaign challenging. Meanwhile, the BJP, which had initially struggled with its candidate selection, also faced internal friction. While the local BJP leadership was in favor of Krishnakumar as their candidate, others pushed for firebrand leader Sobha Surendran, creating division within the party.
The political drama escalated further when BJP leader Sandeep Warrier, a popular youth figure in Palakkad, defected to Congress. Warrier’s decision to leave the BJP, despite previous attempts by CPI(M) to court him, has been a significant blow to the Left party. The move has caused an outpouring of criticism from CPI(M) leaders, who lamented losing a prominent youth leader to the opposition.
The campaign, initially scheduled for November 13, was extended to November 20, due to a major temple festival in the region, which has helped the candidates to rally their supporters. With the conclusion of the campaigning on Monday, all three major political fronts—CPI(M), Congress, and BJP—are confident of victory, but the final result remains uncertain. The vote count will take place on November 23, with the by-election expected to be a closely watched contest in Kerala’s politically charged landscape.
