Joseph group triumphs in Kottayam, Jose K Mani faction suffers heavy blow

KOTTAYAM: Kottayam was the constituency where the struggle of Kerala Congressmen took place. After 1977, this election also had the distinction of being the first time the Kerala Congress had faced each other. Before the announcement of the candidate, it was thought that Jose K. Mani would contest, but Thomas Chazhikadan was chosen this time. There was pressure to retain the party's lone Lok Sabha seat. Even though the progress report was presented to the people, this time it was not favourable for Chazhikkadan.

Kottayam was the first constituency to announce a UDF candidate. Francis George, the candidate of the Joseph faction of the Kerala Congress, won the constituency this time. Francis George is also the son of K.M. George, the founder leader of the Kerala Congress. He also has a history of winning the 1999 and 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Idukki.

Francis George (358,646 votes) won by 86,750 votes over sitting MP Thomas Chazhikadan, who secured 271,896 votes. BDJS candidate Thushar Vellappally got 161,897 votes, which was also a setback for Chazhikadan.

The defeat in Kottayam, the seat of the Mani faction, will also reduce the party's strength within the front. Thomas Chazhikadan, who performed well as an MP, could not come forward at any stage. In 2019, Congress candidate Thomas Chazhikadan defeated CPM candidate V.N. Vasavan by 106,259 votes.

This defeat will significantly reduce the bargaining power of the Jose K. Mani faction within the front. This is yet another setback for Jose K. Mani. After losing the assembly elections in Pala, the seat of his father K.M. Mani, Jose was unable to win a single seat to the Lok Sabha, which is also a big setback politically.

However, with the victory, the Kerala Congress Joseph faction will become stronger in the UDF front. Kottayam is a proud victory for them. They will stake their claim to the upcoming Rajya Sabha seat in the UDF. But if the CPM is not ready to give a seat to Jose again in the Left Front, the Kerala Congress Mani faction will become a party without representation in Parliament.