Alappuzha: In the final phase of the assembly election campaign, both the CPI(M)-led Left and the Congress-led UDF are locked in an intense contest to secure the support of Islamic radical groups, resorting to every possible strategy. Rather than foregrounding key public issues such as development and corruption, both fronts appear to be focusing on consolidating minority votes by positioning themselves as the principal opposition to the BJP. The Welfare Party of Jamaat-e-Islami has tactically withdrawn from open public discourse while extending full support to the UDF. However, its cadre remains highly active at the grassroots level, campaigning vigorously to mobilise support and raise the question of why the UDF should be brought back to power.
Growing influence of Jamaat-e-Islami and Welfare Party
Jamaat-e-Islami has emerged as a significant force, exerting influence even over the Muslim League, which had traditionally maintained an oppositional stance towards it. The Welfare Party, instead of directly contesting, is backing individuals aligned with its ideology under the Muslim League banner. In some instances, it has even succeeded in influencing candidate selection by sidelining certain aspirants.
Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, who have joined the campaign trail, have repeatedly alleged the CPI(M)- BJP deal in the election to polarise and attract support from organised religious groups. However, despite publicly criticising such tendencies, the UDF itself is accused of quietly attempting to secure the backing of the PFI-backed SDPI. This contradiction is evident in the Manjeswaram constituency of Kasaragod district, where the UDF–Muslim League candidate has benefited from portraying the SDPI as a “secular” party. At the same time, Abdul Nasser Madani’s PDP, which has faced allegations of fuelling religious extremism in Keralam, is openly campaigning in favour of the Left. PDP leaders have actively participated in Left election meetings, including a recent event in Ambalapuzha constituency in Alappuzha district where PDP State Vice Chairman Muttom Nassar shared the stage with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
SDPI support and political controversies
The SDPI, widely regarded as the political wing of the banned organisation PFI, has already held constituency-level conventions declaring its support for the Left. Although there are internal disagreements within the SDPI regarding this decision, the party leadership continues to reiterate its commitment to backing the Left. Questions remain unanswered regarding the nature of any understanding between the CPI(M) and the SDPI, as details of any such arrangement have not been disclosed. This has triggered demands for transparency, especially at a time when several leaders associated with PFI and SDPI are facing legal action and are in jail over anti-national terror activities. The issue has also sparked criticism within the Left, with some accusing the leadership of betraying the memory of victims of political violence, including the SFI leader Abhimanyu. Despite mounting public and internal criticism, the party leadership’s response to its association with the SDPI remains ambiguous.
With only four days remaining for the polls, both the Left and the UDF appear to be concentrating their campaigns on mobilising organised religious communities, often through strategies perceived as appeasement or fear-based mobilisation. Except for the NDA, the major fronts have largely sidelined their manifestos and core policy agendas. As the campaign enters its final stretch, the contest is increasingly being framed as a clash between the NDA’s development-oriented narrative and what its supporters describe as the appeasement politics pursued by both the Left and the UDF.
