Prime Minister Narendra Modi met State 20 President Sabu M. Jacob in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday as the party joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). | Photo credit: ANI
Cracks began to appear in Twenty20, a Kitex-backed political group, just a day after it joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with both the Congress and the CPI(M), with claims that disillusioned party workers and leaders, including elected representatives, were set to defect in the coming days.
At a press conference held alongside Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice President Sajeendran, former Twenty20 Vadavucode panchayat member Raseena Pareeth announced the exit of a group of members from the party. She accused the management of turning the outfit into a recruitment agency for the BJP. “All along it has been said that the party will neither join the right nor the left, but will dissolve if forced to do so. There will be mass resignations and exodus from the party, including elected representatives, in the coming days,” Ms Pareeth warned.
Mr. Sajeendran described the decision to join the NDA as “game over” for Twenty20 State President Sabu M. Jacob. He alleged that consultations with the national leadership of the BJP took place even before the local public polls, betraying the trust of the voters. He alleged that the BJP was using Twenty20 as a shortcut to breach the Kunnathunadu Assembly constituency, which has a significant population of minorities and scheduled castes.
“No Party Impact”
2020 Vice President V. Gopakumar dismissed the resignations as meaningless and said all mandalam presidents and state committee members remain firmly in the party.
In a separate press conference, CPI(M) district secretariat member KS Arunkumar and Kolancherry area committee secretary KK Elias claimed that disgruntled Twenty20 members would join their party in large numbers.
The Vadavucode-Puthencruz Imbroglio
The latest development has put the United Democratic Front (UDF) in a difficult position in the Vadavucode-Puthencruz panchayat, where it came to power with the support of two Twenty20 members. In the 17-member council, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) emerged as the single largest bloc with eight members, compared to the UDF’s seven.
The CPI(M) was quick to point this out and demand that the Congress relinquish power. However, Congress and Twenty20 adopted different positions, although both actually preferred to maintain the status quo. The Congress claimed that the elected members of the Twenty20 would identify with it, while the Twenty20 entrusted the responsibility to the Congress to decide whether to stay in power or resign.
KM Divya, one of the two elected Twenty20 members in Vadavucode-Puthencruz panchayat, said she would follow the party leadership’s decision. She emphasized that party chairman Sabu M. Jacob will never take a decision against the interests of the people. Ms. Divya recalled how the UDF and LDF came together to call for Twenty20 during the local body elections and justified the party’s decision to join the NDA as a means of effectively resisting any such move in the future.
Published – 23 Jan 2026 20:50 IST
