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The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which has ruled the Irinjalakuda municipality for 25 years, faces its toughest challenge yet. Alongside the Left Democratic Front, over which the UDF holds a wafer-thin majority of just one seat, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) steady rise has turned the civic polls into a triangular contest. A perceptible shift among sections of the Christian community has made this election unlike any before. For decades, the influential Christian community in this municipality stood firmly with the Congress, ensuring five consecutive wins. However, things have never been easy for the UDF with the front mostly holding on to the thinnest of margins. In the current 41-member council, it has 17 seats, the LDF 16, and the NDA 8. The lack of an absolute majority has hampered governance. “This lack of stability has always been a sword of Damocles over our head,” admitted a senior Congress leader. The BJP, meanwhile, has been gaining steady ground, especially in the temple-town wards around Koodalmanikyam, where it has built a strong base. The ‘growing’ warmth between the party and sections of the Christian community is being closely watched. UDF chairperson Marykutty Joy defends her party’s record: “We have completed a slew of development projects: 780 houses under PMAY, a ₹2.8-crore She Lodge, a community hall, a renovated Town Hall, 1,800 water connections under the Amruth project, and nine new Anganwadis. We’ve worked hard for Irinjalakuda’s progress.” Formed in 1936, Irinjalakuda is one of Kerala’s oldest municipalities. The Christian community dominates business in the town, while the adjoining Porathissery area, added in 2010, remains an LDF stronghold. The BJP claims dominance in the temple-dominated western wards. The LDF, however, calls the UDF’s 25-year rule stagnant. “There isn’t a single motorable road in the municipal area,” said LDF leader K.R. Vijaya. “The Karuvannur river borders the town, but people get drinking water supply only once in five to seven days.” Two cooperative bank scams have further complicated the race. The Karuvannur Bank scam continues to haunt the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in its own bastion Porathissery, while irregularities at the 100-year-old Irinjalakuda Town Cooperative Bank, long-time led by Congress’ M.P. Jackson, have embarrassed the UDF. The bank is now under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) administrative rule. Adding to UDF’s worry is the ‘suspected’ shift in its once-loyal Christian vote base. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, BJP candidate Suresh Gopi led in Irinjalakuda Assembly constituency by 12,000 votes — including the municipal area. “We have the upper hand in 30 wards,” claimed BJP councillor Santhosh Boban. “The scams have destroyed people’s trust on both fronts. Even Christian businessmen are with us this time.” But the LDF dismisses the BJP’s optimism. “Each election has its own dynamics,” said Ms. Vijaya. “The Lok Sabha mood will not be repeated this time. The BJP’s ‘vote chori’ advantage is gone. And BJP MP Suresh Gopi no longer enjoys the old charm.” The LDF is also banking on development projects brought in by Irinjalakuda MLA and Higher Education Minister R. Bindu. As Irinjalakuda heads to polls, a 25-year legacy meets a volatile new political landscape — one where every ward, and every vote, counts.
