The Congress in Kerala he counted his chickens before they hatch. For several weeks now, senior leaders have settled on the post of chief minister on the assumption that United Democratic Front (UDF) would win the May 4 parliamentary elections. Just as the party sought to cover up an indecent public display of personal ambition, its most important ally muddied the waters. Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, State President Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)she publicly endorsed VD Satheesan for the post of chief minister, citing opinion polls of dubious authority and urging the Congress central leadership to go with the choice of public sentiment. The impact was immediate. Sectarian leaders, fueling anti-Muslim sentiment, were quick to claim that the Congress and the UDF were in the grip of the IUML. The fee has a history to make a living from. The IUML’s maximalist demands for seats, cabinet berths and portfolios have contributed to this impression and are at least partly linked to growing tensions between the Muslim community on the one hand and Hindus and Christians on the other – a realignment that has proved beneficial to the BJP. The UDF may have barely stopped the disintegration of its social base in this election, if at all. The IUML’s public appearances are a stark reminder of what to avoid if the Front is to remain viable in the face of rapid social change.
The conventions of Kerala’s coalition politics are clear and have been in place for decades. A single party rarely wins an absolute majority; Fronta partners together get these numbers. Leading Party — Congress in UDF, CPI-M v Left Democratic Front — elects its legislative party leader, who is then accepted by the front as chief minister. There is no record of this decorum being breached by any of the junior partners on either front. No front contested these elections with a declared chief ministerial candidate; even the incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was not named LDF’s CM candidate. On both fronts, the Chief Minister emerged through a two-stage process involving the newly elected MLAs and the central leadership of the party concerned. In the UDF and LDF, popular leaders have often missed out on the top post simply because there are always multiple contenders but only one post. The IUML would serve itself, the culture of coalition politics and the social fabric of Kerala much better if it respected this decorum. The Congress high command must demonstrate that maneuvers to embarrass the party have a cost, not a reward.
Published – May 2, 2026 0:10 AM IST
