"Fuels BJP's ambitions in Kerala": CM Vijayan slams Congress over defection in Mattathur Panchayat

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 28 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Pinarayi Vijayan, on Sunday strongly criticised Congress after eight party councillors resigned and joined hands with the BJP to gain power in the Mattathur grama panchayat.
CM Vijayan, in an X post, slammed Congress, stating that "turncoats" strengthen the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's project by "normalising defections." Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, he said that such defections "fuel the BJP's ambitions" in the state.
"What happened in Mattathur Panchayat in Kerala yesterday reveals a vicious trend: Congress members joining hands with the BJP to seize power. This politics of turncoats directly strengthens the Sangh Parivar's project by normalising defections and eroding democratic mandates. Such conduct, seen earlier in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, and Puducherry, fuels the BJP's ambitions in Kerala. @INCIndia leadership must respond clearly to this dangerous drift," the Chief Minister wrote.
In a dramatic political turn in the state, eight Congress councillors who resigned from the party joined hands with the BJP to ensure the election of independent candidate Tessy Jose Kallarakkal as president of the Mattathur grama panchayat on Saturday, ending the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) 23-year-long control of the local body.
Mattathur panchayat has 24 wards. In the recent local body elections, the LDF won 10 seats, the UDF eight, the NDA four, while two independents were elected. The LDF had fielded independent councillor KR Ouseph as its presidential candidate, while the UDF backed the other independent, Tessy Jose Kallarakkal.
In the decisive vote, Tessy Jose secured 12 votes, eight from the resigned Congress members and three from the BJP, with one BJP vote declared invalid. LDF-backed candidate Ouseph received support from all 10 LDF members.
The political churn followed a series of last-minute realignments. With initial numbers moving towards a 10-10 tie between the LDF and UDF, the possibility of a draw of lots had emerged.
The UDF had earlier convened a parliamentary party meeting and selected KR Ouseph, an elected Congress rebel, as its parliamentary party leader and nominee for the panchayat president. However, just ahead of the election, Ouseph reached an understanding with the LDF and switched sides.
The move triggered protests from members of Congress, who accused Ouseph of betrayal. Subsequently, all eight Congress councillors resigned from the party, declared themselves independents, and, with support from the four BJP members, fielded Tessy Jose, herself a Congress rebel, who was elected panchayat president. (ANI)