Kerala Poll 2026: Congress’ Quarrels, CPM’s Arrogance, BJP’s Divisive Detour- Voters Confused
By Suresh Unnithan
The Congress in Kerala stands a chance to win the state assembly elections, thanks to growing anti-incumbency against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government and more than that, the intolerable arrogance and haughtiness of the CPI(M). After a decade in power, the Left’s cadre—once legendary for disciplined door-to-door charm—have morphed into entitled overlords who treat voters like subjects who should be grateful for their benevolence. Governance fatigue? Check. Nepotism allegations? Tick. Administrative high-handedness that makes even the most patient Malayali roll their eyes? Double tick. The LDF’s “we know best” attitude has alienated enough people that the UDF should be popping champagne already.
But wait—hold the bubbly. Because if there’s one thing Kerala politics teaches us, it’s that no gift horse is safe from being shot in the foot by its own jockeys. Enter the Congress, the eternal underachiever who turns golden opportunities into lead balloons with Olympic-level consistency. The voters are fed up with the CPM’s smug lectures on morality while cadres behave like local feudal lords. Yet, just as the anti-LDF wave crests, Congress leaders decide the real enemy isn’t Vijayan—it’s each other. Why unite against a tired government when you can stage a spectacular family feud over who gets the biggest slice of the hypothetical power pie?
Take K. Sudhakaran, the former KPCC president and Kannur MP, who’s treating seat allocation like a personal soap opera. The high command politely suggests MPs stay in Delhi and focus on Parliament. Sudhakaran? He dashes back to Kerala, pens dramatic Facebook posts about his “heart’s blood” constituency, and basically issues an ultimatum: give me Kannur or watch me sulk louder. The man who once shielded party workers like a mother hen now acts like a hen who’s lost her favorite egg. Voters see this and think: If he can’t handle internal ticket drama without public tantrums, how will he handle a state budget?
Then there’s Ramesh Chennithala, the wise elder statesman who publicly preaches UDF unity while his camp quietly fuels the old factional fires. One day he’s dismissing infighting rumors like a pro; the next, his supporters are whispering about CM ambitions and community invites that scream “backroom maneuvering.” It’s like watching a chess grandmaster play against himself—checkmate for everyone except the party. Meanwhile, K. Muraleedharan keeps the sarcasm flowing with his signature freewheeling style, occasionally firing verbal shots that remind everyone why show-cause notices exist. And don’t forget Kodikunnil Suresh, whose interventions often highlight divisions rather than heal them, turning internal meetings into subtle power-point presentations on ego.
The irony is deliciously bitter. Both the Congress and CPI(M) are masters of self-sabotage. The CPM’s arrogance pushes voters away; Congress’s infighting pulls them right back into confusion. With the LDF looking vulnerable and the UDF positioned as the obvious alternative, Kerala voters are in a classic bind: tired of the haughty Left, distrustful of the squabbling Congress, and staring at the BJP as the only visible “change” option. Sure, the BJP carries its own baggage—communal overtones that make secular Kerala nervous—but when your main choices are a smug ruling front and a dysfunctional opposition, even a divisive outsider starts looking like the lesser evil to some disillusioned souls.
It’s a tragicomic spectacle. Congress could waltz into power on the sheer weight of LDF exhaustion. Surveys show over half the voters want Vijayan out. Local body results hint at UDF momentum. Yet the party’s senior architects of confusion are busy building roadblocks instead of bridges. How do you trust leaders more obsessed with chair sizes than charter flights for governance? Voters watch Sudhakaran’s ticket tantrums, Chennithala’s factional chess, Muraleedharan’s mic-drops, and think: These are the people who’ll fix CPM’s mess? Really?
In the end, Kerala might just gift the LDF an undeserved third term—or worse, fracture the anti-Left vote enough for the BJP to sneak in seats it never dreamed of. The CPM’s haughtiness and Congress’s chaos are tag-teaming to make voters say, “Enough of both—maybe it’s time for something else.” Thanks to their erratic, intolerable behavior, the two big players are jointly auditioning for irrelevance, while the third quietly waits in the wings.
Kerala deserves better. But as long as Congress turns winnable elections into self-inflicted farces, and the CPM mistakes arrogance for authority, the real winner might be voter cynicism. Or, heaven forbid, the very alternative both claim to despise.
