Kochi, Dec 22 After its stunning performance in the Kerala local body polls held earlier this month, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) on Monday decided to admit former two-time MLA P.V. Anvar, tribal leader C.K. Janu, and the VSDP of Vishnupuram Chandrasekheran as associate members of the coalition, signalling an early attempt to broaden its political base ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections next year.
While the VSDP and Janu’s party were part of the BJP-led NDA, but keeping away from the BJP for a while now, Anvar was a Left-backed Independent MLA before falling out with the CPI-M.
This decision was arrived at during a high-level UDF meeting, which also agreed on the need for early election preparedness, including expediting seat-sharing talks.
UDF leaders said the front would finalise seat-sharing arrangements by January, well ahead of the polls, likely to be held in April-May, marking a departure from the past practice of last-minute negotiations that often triggered internal frictions.
The meeting underlined the need for organisational clarity and political cohesion as the front prepares to take on the ruling CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
The UDF also discussed its approach towards Kerala Congress-Mani, the third-largest party in the ruling LDF.
A clear decision was taken that while the UDF would not initiate any outreach or discussions with the Mani faction, the door would remain open if the party itself chose to explore a change in political alignment.
"If Kerala Congress-Mani comes forward for talks, discussions can be held. But no leader from the Congress-led UDF will go to them seeking negotiations," a source said.
Kerala Congress-Mani was part of the UDF ahead of the 2020 local body elections but later shifted allegiance to the LDF, a move that significantly altered electoral equations in central Kerala.
Since then, the party has emerged as a key ally of the CPI-M.
The meeting also noted that Kerala Congress-M must clearly state its position amid persistent political speculation. UDF leaders stressed that the front’s strategy would be based on clarity rather than ambiguity.
With the induction of Anvar, Janu, and Chandrasekheran and a renewed emphasis on early seat-sharing, the UDF appears keen to project unity and preparedness, as it looks to regain political momentum against the ruling Left in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
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