The Congress has fired the starting gun in the race for the Puthuppally Assembly constituency left vacant by the passing of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy by announcing the much-anticipated candidature of his son and political heir, Chandy Oommen, on Tuesday.
The party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge approved Mr. Oommen’s candidature hours after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the September 5 byelection.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan cast the bypoll as a referendum on the Pinarayi Vijayan government’s performance. He said the Congress hopes to repeat “Thrikkakara in Puthuppally”.
Last year, the Congress struck gold in the Thrikkakara bypoll by fielding Uma Thomas, wife of late P.T. Thomas, who died in harness like Chandy.
Ms. Thomas bagged nearly 54% of the total votes polled and increased the Congress’ vote share by more than 8%, prompting the party to bet on kinship politics in Puthupally.
Mr. Oommen is no novice to politics. He cut his teeth on campus activism and completed the Bharat Jodo Yatra alongside Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress felt that the 38-year-old bachelor could easily carry Puthuppally for the party, given his famous forename and the constituency’s palpable sentiment for his late father.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan said “politics and not sympathy” would determine the bypoll outcome. He seemed confident that the CPI(M) controlled the majority of panchayats and cooperative societies in the constituency.
The CPI(M) also felt reassured that its candidate from the Jacobite community, Jaick. C. Thomas, who contested against Oommen Chandy, a member of the Orthodox faction, in the 2021 Assembly elections, had given the veteran leader a tough fight and significantly dented the latter’s victory margin.
The BJP seemed content to play spoilsport for both fronts, given its penchant for targeted campaigning and tactical voting. However, bets are off on which alliance would benefit from the BJP’s gambit.
The campaign for Puthuppally will likely transcend the dimensions of a purely parochial bypoll.
Manipur violence, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) issue, and the Centre’s “trespasses” on federalism would figure prominently at the hustings, among other issues of national concern.
Irrespective of who wins, the lessons gleaned from the bypoll outcome will likely resonate in Kerala’s 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.
