KN Balagopal (file photo)
While KN Balagopal managed to retain his Kottarakara seat in the assembly elections, the narrow margin of victory triggered a blame game involving vote-trading deals between major fronts.
Alleging a high tactical deal between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), MP Kodikunnil Suresh said the CPI(M) was helping the BJP in Chathannur in return for saffron support in Kottarakara.
Mr. Suresh specifically pointed to Neduvathur grama panchayat, an eight-member BJP bastion where Mr. Balagopal surprisingly secured the leadership. He alleged that millions were spent on a financial deal to prevent United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate P. Aisha Potty from unseating the minister.
However, intrigue deepens as the UDF faces internal turmoil due to perceived betrayal from within its own ranks. Despite the nationwide wave of the UDF, the alliance has stumbled in its own stronghold of Ezhukone. The panchayat has been a Congress stronghold for two consecutive terms and boasts of ten panchayat members and two block members. While Mr. Balagopal’s lead in Veliyam and Kareepra narrowed significantly compared to the previous election, Ms. Potty trailed by 736 votes in Ezhukone, where the UDF had expected a lead of at least 700 that would have changed the verdict. UDF panchayat president Biju Philip took moral responsibility for the failure and resigned from his post amid furious allegations from the workers.
The contest was particularly significant because Ms. Potty is no stranger to Kottarakar’s political pulse. The seasoned veteran and former three-time MLA from the constituency represented the region with distinction under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) banner before moving to the Congress. Her return as a UDF candidate was seen as a masterstroke to win the seat, making the unexpected deficit in Ezhukone all the more suspicious to party loyalists.
The CPI(M) leadership flatly rejected the allegations, dismissing them as a face-saving tactic by the UDF to mask its own internal failure. CPI(M) district secretary S. Sudevan characterized the allegations as completely baseless and pointed out that the LDF has consistently maintained dominance in the Neduvathur panchayat over the years. He pointed out that the front secured a significant lead of 4,000 votes there in the 2016 Assembly elections and maintained its lead in the 2021 and 2024 assembly elections. According to Mr. Sudevan, the LDF’s panchayat lead in these elections actually narrowed compared to previous years, which he says proves that any collusion was actually between BJP and UDF.
Published – 08 May 2026 19:04 IST
