KPCC seeks to quash ‘captain’ controversy, attributes Nilambur bypoll win to ‘Team UDF’

The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), which met here on Friday, sought to quell what it termed as media speculation that some leaders had prematurely claimed credit for the Nilambur bypoll victory, irking others in the hierarchy.

At a press conference, KPCC president Sunny Joseph dismissed the ‘captain controversy’. He attributed the win to teamwork and voter anger against the LDF government.

The controversy erupted after some reports attributed the Nilambur victory to the Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan’s ‘captaincy’. 

Subsequently, senior leader Ramesh Chennithala observed that the UDF had won several by-elections when he was the Leader of the Opposition. 

Nevertheless, Mr. Chennithala said the media had not given him the honorific status of a ‘captain’. He noted the press appeared to apply double standards. 

Later, Mr. Satheesan shrugged off the ‘captain rank’ and attributed the bypoll win to ‘Team UDF’. He also praised Mr. Chennithala as a leader in the rank of ‘Major’. 

However, the remarks provided grist to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) to assail the UDF leadership as faction-driven and squabbling over credit. 

Mr. Joseph also appeared to stoke speculation that some LDF allies had put out feelers to the Congress, seeking a political accommodation in the UDF ahead of the 2025 local body polls and the 2026 Assembly elections. 

KC(M) question

When asked whether Congress considered wooing back Kerala Congress (Mani) [KC(M)] — a key LDF ally with deep pockets of influence among the Christian community in central Kerala — Mr. Joseph said, “The UDF is set to expand its base significantly,” he said. 

Meanwhile, KC(M) chairperson Jose K. Mani told reporters in Kottayam that his party remained an integral part of the LDF. He denied the conjecture that the party’s State Secretariat would weigh the possibility of parleying with the UDF on Friday.

Mr. Mani refused to comment when asked whether the UDF’s willingness to expand its base would give the KC(M) a bargaining tool to demand more local body and Assembly seats from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].

The KPCC deemed the ward limitation ahead of the local body polls unscientific. It also accused the government of nepotism in appointments and corruption in the construction of NH-66.