KASRGOD: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), widely described by critics as the political face of the banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFI), has withdrawn its candidate from the Manjeswaram Assembly constituency following sustained pressure from Muslim organisations, and the Congress party state president C.P.A. Latheef said at a press conference.
Latheef stated that leaders of the United Democratic Front (UDF) had contacted him multiple times, urging the party to step aside. He also noted that figures, including the convener of the Muslim Coordination Committee, had appealed for the withdrawal. Describing the move as part of “positive politics,” Latheef said the decision was taken to avoid a scenario that could benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the prevailing political situation.
He clarified that the party has not yet taken a final decision on whom to support in the constituency. “It is not possible to say at this stage who SDPI voters should support. A decision will be announced after assessing the situation,” he said. While the SDPI had backed the UDF in the 2021 Assembly elections, the party had initially fielded its own candidate this time and actively campaigned.
However, the leadership explained that concerns arose over a possible split in SDPI votes in what is expected to be a strong triangular contest, potentially benefiting the BJP. It was in this context that the decision to withdraw was made.
The move has triggered internal dissent within the party. The party’s candidate from the constituency, K.M. Ashraf, resigned from his organisational positions in protest against the state committee’s decision. There are also indications of growing dissatisfaction among local leaders over the sudden shift in strategy.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) Central Committee member Elamaram Karim alleged at a separate press conference that senior Muslim League leader and former minister M.K. Munir was denied a seat not due to ill health, but because of his opposition to Jamaat-e-Islami. Karim described Jamaat-e-Islami as a proponent of political Islam and further claimed that it was the Muslim League leadership that had pushed Munir into financial distress.
The remarks are being seen as confirming a broader political equation, with the CPI(M), an ally of the Congress in the I.N.D.I.Alliance at the national level, underlining what is described as a nexus between the Congress and Jamaat-e-Islami, adding a new dimension to the political discourse in Keralam.
BJP leader V Muraleedharan raises issue of Congress-CPI(M) ‘Deal’
Former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan questioned whether there was a covert political understanding behind recent developments. He remarked that in Kerala, if there is any “deal,” it is between the CPI(M) and the Congress. Referring to past elections, he noted that a Congress candidate who contested from the Nemom constituency had openly stated that, even if he did not win, he would ensure that the BJP would not secure victory in the Manjeswaram constituency, even if it meant indirectly aiding the CPI(M).
Muraleedharan also questioned Opposition Leader VD Satheesan and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, asking whether the absence of strong Left Front candidates in certain constituencies pointed to a tacit understanding. He alleged that such claims of “deals” were being used to mask deeper political arrangements.
He further argued that the CPI(M) is attempting a new strategy by fielding a minority community candidate in the Palakkad constituency, which, he claimed, could split the UDF vote. According to him, allegations raised by Satheesan were an attempt to pre-empt criticism of this strategy. Muraleedharan asserted that the people of Keralam would ultimately recognise the “deal behind the deal allegation,” adding that there would be no Left–Right collusion this time.
