UDF will not come to power if Ezhava community is ignored; AICC secret survey becomes warning to UDF

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It will be difficult for the UDF to come to power in the next assembly elections if the state Congress leadership continues to ignore the Ezhava community and backward communities in the organization and selection of candidates, says the AICC's initial secret survey. The survey also says that the Congress may not be able to advance in the upcoming local body elections either.

The AICC has been receiving many complaints about the severe neglect faced by the Ezhava community, which constitute about 29 percent of the population, in Congress.

Former general secretary from Kozhikode, N. Subramanian, had openly stated at the KPCC Political Affairs Committee meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram last week that it would be difficult for the UDF to come to power ignoring the Ezhava community. This was in the presence of AICC organizational general secretary K.C. Venugopal and general secretary in charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunshi.

Cutting short representatives since 2006; start of the collapse of Congress too

The Congress had 29 Ezhava MLAs in the Legislative Assembly. The Vishwakarma, Dheevara and Nadar communities were also represented. With the new leadership in the Congress after K. Karunakaran and Antony, from 2006 the representatives from backward classes started being cut short. The seats given to them were reduced to 17 from 35. That is when the collapse of the Congress began. It was the VS Achuthanandan government that came to power in that election. When the UDF came to power in 2011 with a majority of only four seats, there were only three Ezhava MLAs. In 2016 and 2021, it was reduced to one. The Nadar community is also deeply unhappy with the neglect.

2021 survey ignored

Based on the surveys conducted by the AICC, the leadership was recommended that the Congress give 35 seats to the Ezhava community in the 2021 assembly elections. However, out of the 98 seats contested by the Congress, only 14 were given to the Ezhava community. Most of them were in constituencies with low chances of victory. There were also allegations that unimportant candidates were fielded. There were no seats for backward classes like Vishwakarma. The CPM gave 27 seats to the Ezhava community. The LDF, which gave 35 seats to the backward classes, continued to rule with 99 seats. The UDF was limited to 41 seats. Congress won 22 seats. Out of them, only one Ezhava MLA- K Babu.

Kerala Kaumudi newspaper cutting send to Delhi

CMP General Secretary CP John warned in an interview with Kerala Kaumudi the other day that ignoring the Ezhava community would be detrimental to the UDF. Congress workers sent the newspaper cuttings of this report and the response of SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan in support of CP John translated into English to the high command.