The odds seemed to overwhelmingly favour 33-year-old Jaick C. Thomas’ nomination as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] standard-bearer in the byelection battle for the Puthuppally Assembly constituency on September 5.
The CPI(M) State secretariat, which met here on Friday, reportedly felt that Mr. Thomas had a fighting chance to offset 38-year-old Congress leader and United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Chandy Oommen’s home advantage.
Mr. Thomas, who hails from the Jacobite community, gave former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, a member of the Orthodox faction, a close fight in the 2021 Assembly elections, denting the veteran’s victory margin by a third and increasing CPI(M)‘s vote share by more than 8%.
Nevertheless, the CPI(M) did not discount the possibility that Chandy’s famous forename and his father’s, the late Oommen Chandy, formidable political legacy might stand the Congress in good stead.
Mr. Thomas did not dispute the talk about his putative candidature. He said CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan would announce the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate’s name in Kottayam on Saturday.
The CPI(M)‘s campaign appeared to hinge on the theme that Puthuppally was desperate for a fresh start after “five decades of development limbo” under Oommen Chandy.
Moreover, both parties seemed mindful that touchy debates about faith, development, sympathy, and personality cults could determine how the campaign plays out.
Notably, Mr. Thomas flagged the attempt by some quarters to create a new hagiography centred on the departed Congress leader to serve their political agenda. He said the plan seemed designed to eclipse voters’ damning questions about Puthuppally’s “development stasis.”
The CPI(M) was marshalling its formidable organisational machinery to capture the “crown jewel” of Congress’ electoral bastions. Mr. Govindan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would spearhead the campaigning.
The Congress hopes to bring heavyweights, including Rahul Gandhi, into the fray. The stakes seemed higher for the Congress.
Losing the safe seat would leave the party looking over its shoulder in fear as the drumbeats of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw close.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) core committee is meeting in Thrissur on Saturday to decide its candidate and election strategy. The party’s penchant for tactical voting in byelections worries both the LDF and the UDF.
