As the Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)] heads into its second local body election with the Left Democratic Front, the ‘two leaves’ appears to have grown wide enough to cast a shadow on the ‘hammer, sickle and star’ in the Catholic heartlands. Nothing illustrates the regional party’s rise within the Left combine better than the numbers. Brushing aside renewed whispers of a comeback to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) after the Nilambur bypoll, the KC(M) has expanded the number of seats it will contest by 30% this time.
In 2020, the KC(M) tested its strength in around 860 wards across Kottayam. This time, however, that number has surged to 1,026 and will rise further when Independents backed by the party are included. In Idukki, the KC(M) is contesting 187 seats, while in Pathanamthitta, about 50.
Zero disputes
Yet the leadership believes the party’s real victory is not just numerical. “We had zero disputes across 71 grama panchayats, 11 block panchayats, six municipalities, and all 23 district panchayat divisions. Not a single friendly contest. This is 100% success in LDF seat-sharing,” said Lopez Mathew, convener of the LDF in Kottayam.
The most politically telling detail, however, lies in the symbols. In several seats across the region, the CPI(M) is contesting without its iconic election symbol — hammer, sickle and star. The KC(M), despite being the junior partner, however, retains its ‘two leaves’ symbol everywhere.
Alternative symbols
In the Pala municipality, for example, only one among six CPI(M) candidates is using the party symbol. In the Kottayam municipality, candidates in wards 14 to 19 are contesting under alternative symbols despite running on the LDF ticket. The same trend is visible across several panchayats, including Bharananganam, Karoor, Meenachil, Mutholi, and other KC(M) bastions.
K. Anil Kumar, a CPI(M) State committee member, describes it as a strategic move to appear more inclusive. “This helps remove hesitation among traditional voters of the UDF or the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) who want to support the Left this time,” he explains.
At the grassroots, however, the message is blunt. “You cannot contest on the CPI(M) symbol in these pockets and expect to win. In several wards across the Kottayam and Pala municipalities, many votes come from convents and other Church-run institutions, and these voters are unlikely to support the party symbol,” said a CPI(M) leader.
KC(M)’s core vote
This strategic manoeuvre, meanwhile, also reinforces the KC(M)’s political significance in State politics, particularly as the UDF attempts to reclaim its strength in central Travancore. The numbers from 2021 too underline the point. During the Assembly elections last year, the party secured 6.84 lakh votes, contested 12 seats, and won five. Beyond these, the party claims influence across 23 more constituencies, mainly in the Travancore midlands. Even excluding the pro-Left wave of 2021, KC(M)’s core vote remains above five lakh, points out the leadership.
Published – December 02, 2025 09:39 am IST
