As Kerala heads to the local polls, Palakkad municipality is likely to attract attention once again, mainly because it remains under the Bharatiya Janata Party government. It is one of the two municipalities in the state where the party has retained power for two terms.
The BJP continues to believe that its 40,000 votes in Palakkad municipality are intact even though Rahul Mamkootathil of the United Democratic Front (UDF) won the elections in November last year by a large margin.
In 2021, Metroman E. Sreedharan contested the assembly elections on a BJP ticket and lost to UDF’s Shafi Parambil by a narrow margin in Palakkad. But it increased the BJP’s vote share in the municipality to 50,000. However, in the 2024 by-elections, BJP’s votes fell to 40,000, a figure the party considers its core and reliable support base.
The BJP is pinning its hopes on this vote share for the upcoming municipal elections and is aiming to secure maximum number of seats in the 53-member assembly. The party hopes to win a third term in Palakakadu despite internal leadership wrangling.
BJP detractors cite municipal chairperson Prameela Sasidharan’s attendance at Mr. Mamkootathil’s function, despite a BJP boycott, and the party’s rebuke of his actions as examples of controversies that could potentially weaken the BJP’s position in Palakkad.
But Ms. Sasidharan, a councilor for 25 years and chairwoman for two years, signaled an exit from municipal politics. So did Vice-Chairman and State Treasurer E. Krishnadas. The party leadership is likely to push for Mr. Krishnadas to serve another term.
Internal conflicts are rampant in both BJP and Congress. In 2020, the UDF’s number of seats decreased from 17 to 14 largely due to internal disagreements in the Congress. Rebel candidates were blamed for the party’s poor performance. The situation has not improved for either party before the 2025 election.
There are too many male candidates preparing to contest in BJP and Congress camps though there will be 24 general unreserved seats. Given the internal turmoil in the Congress, the threat of insurgent candidates is expected to resurface.
If the party leadership decides to give them a break, potential opposition from senior BJP leaders like N. Sivarajan is expected. However, the BJP is confident that the leadership’s intervention will quell the rebel menace.
The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) looks weak in Palakkad. It is likely to adopt a strategy of supporting independent candidates in certain constituencies, hoping to build on its current seven seats.
Both the BJP and the Congress say the delimitation has not worked in their favour. However, a dozen seats are expected to be closely contested. These seats will ultimately determine which front will rule the municipality.
Published – 28 Oct 2025 20:37 IST
