Kerala Assembly polls 2026: war of words erupts over ‘secret deal’ allegations in Vattiyurkavu

The raging debate about alleged tacit deals and covert alliance appears to have dominated the political landscape in Vattiyurkavu constituency in Thiruvananthapuram.

Alleging an implicit understanding between CPI(M) and BJP, United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate K. Muraleedharan on Thursday claimed that certain BJP councillors are allegedly working for CPI(M) behind the scenes.

According to him, these councillors campaign for National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate R. Sreelekha during the day, but secretly support Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate V.K. Prasanth at night.

He added that similar “deals” were more prevalent in Thiruvananthapuram district than elsewhere in Kerala. He also questioned the LDF’s choice of candidates, questioning that several senior CPI(M) leaders had been overlooked as part of such tacit arrangements.

Dissatisfaction with CM

Despite such factors, the senior Congress leader expressed strong confidence in the UDF’s prospects. The purported dissatisfaction with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan within sections of the CPI(M) could translate into cross-voting in favour of the UDF, not just in Thiruvananthapuram but across the State, he claimed.

Mr. Prasanth dismissed the accusation, and alleged that Mr. Muraleedharan is raising such claims out of fear of defeat. A strong pro-LDF trend is visible across the constituency, he said and added that the Congress leader is attempting to pre-emptively justify an anticipated loss by blaming an alleged alliance.

He also accused the Congress of hypocrisy and claimed that the party had forged alliances with BJP in various parts. “Such allegations (against the Congress) were first publicly raised by a Youth Congress leader who raised doubts of an understanding with the BJP in certain constituencies. Besides, the Congress must explain where their votes went in places like Nemom and Thrissur (Lok Sabha constituency) where the BJP had won earlier,” Mr. Prasanth said.

Responding to Mr. Muraleedharan’s allegation, Ms. Sreelekha also rejected the claims, calling them “baseless” and “nonsensical.” She added that such statements do not merit serious consideration and chose not to engage further in the controversy.