The Unniyadan camp is intensifying its insurgency against the Kerala Congress leadership

Smoldering discontent in the Kerala Congress over the allocation of government posts is spilling further into the open, with supporters of Irinjalakuda legislator Thomas Unniyadan gearing up for another show of strength in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday (October 27, 2026).

The move comes a month after a meeting in Thrissur in honor of the four-time lawmaker, who went on a public show of disapproval of the party leadership.

At the Thrissur meeting, organized to mark Mr. Unniyadan’s 25 years as a legislator, leaders, including senior Congress leader TN Prathapana, openly questioned his denial of a cabinet position. Discontent escalated into a confrontation, with a separate meeting called by the local Kerala Congress leadership in Irinjalakuda ending in a physical altercation between the two factions. Undeterred by opposition to the leadership, Mr. Unniyadan’s supporters are now taking their campaign to the state capital.

Mr. Unniyadan said the meeting, called ‘Snehadharam’, was organized by friends who knew him from his days at the law academy in Thiruvananthapuram. He said his supporters felt he had been denied recognition for a leader who had spent years building the party, adding that their disappointment was understandable.

“I started my political career through the student wing of the Kerala Congress and rose through the ranks, taking on different responsibilities at each stage. Naturally, my supporters expected me to get a position commensurate with my contributions when the United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power. They are disappointed that this did not happen,” he said.

Mr. Unniyadan also cited his electoral record, pointing out that he wrested Irinjalakuda from the Left that once ruled the constituency, winning four assembly elections.

“Despite being a four-time MLA, I was overlooked for the post of Government Chief Whip, which was given to a first-time MLA. I had also taken the initiative to merge the Kerala Congress groups in 2011 and should have been given priority. The decision was taken without any consultation, which created considerable discontent among party workers,” he said, adding that similar meetings are being planned in other districts of the district. Claiming that his camp had no agenda other than registering their dissent, he criticized senior leaders, including party chairman PJ Joseph, for not stepping in and addressing the issue.

The party leadership, meanwhile, is reluctant to turn the dispute into a disciplinary confrontation. Leaders say Mr. Unniyadan got the Irinjalakuda seat despite opposition from within the party and the local Congress leadership. The leadership is understood to prefer the agitation to die down rather than risk widening the divide through disciplinary action.

r. Unniyadan is not the only leader to express displeasure. Others, including Kerala Congress vice-president Joseph M. Puthussery, have also stayed away from party forums, questioning what they see as the concentration of power under the current leadership after the assembly elections.

Published – 25 Oct 2026 19:08 IST