BJP battles internal turmoil as it fights for third term in Palakkad

As Kerala heads to local body polls, Palakkad municipality is likely to attract attention once again, largely because it remains under Bharatiya Janata Party rule. It is one of just two municipalities in the State where the party has retained power for two straight terms.

The BJP remains confident that its 40,000-strong vote base in Palakkad municipality is intact, despite the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s Rahul Mamkootathil winning the Palakkad Assembly byelection in November last year with a significant margin.

In 2021, Metroman E. Sreedharan contested the Assembly election on BJP ticket and lost to UDF’s Shafi Parambil by a narrow margin in Palakkad. But he boosted the BJP’s vote share in the municipality to 50,000. However, in the 2024 byelection, the BJP votes dipped to 40,000, a number the party considers its core and reliable support base.

The BJP is pinning its hopes on this vote share for the upcoming municipal elections and aiming to secure the highest number of seats in the 53-member council. The party is hopeful about winning a third term in Palakakad, in spite of internal leadership disputes.

The BJP’s opponents cite Municipal Chairperson Prameela Sasidharan’s attendance at Mr. Mamkootathil’s function, despite the BJP’s boycott, and the party’s rebuke of her actions as examples of controversies that could potentially weaken the BJP’s position in Palakkad.

But Ms. Sasidharan, a councillor for 25 years and two-term chairperson, has hinted at retiring from municipal politics. So has vice-chairman and State treasurer E. Krishnadas. The party leadership is likely to push for Mr. Krishnadas to serve another term.

Internal conflicts are rampant within both the BJP and the Congress. In 2020, the UDF’s seat count dropped from 17 to 14 largely due to Congress’ internal discord. Rebel candidates were blamed for the party’s poor showing. The situation has not improved for either party ahead of the 2025 election.

Male candidates bracing up to contest in BJP and Congress camps are far too many, though there will be 24 general unreserved seats. The threat of rebel candidates is expected to resurface, given the Congress’ internal turmoil.

Potential dissent from senior BJP figures like N. Sivarajan is expected if the party leadership decides to give them a break. The BJP, however, is confident that leadership intervention will quell the rebel threat.

The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) looks weak in Palakkad. It is likely to adopt a strategy of backing Independent candidates in certain wards, hoping to build on its present seven seats.

Both the BJP and the Congress argue that the delimitation has not worked in their favour. However, a dozen or so seats are expected to be closely contested. Those seats will ultimately determine which front gets to rule the municipality.