A protracted meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Thursday reportedly blamed lack of dynamic leadership, inadequate election preparedness, scarcity of funds and ill-informed selection of candidates for the debacle in the local body elections.
The Congress largely failed to actively enrol voters in advance. A large number of women Congress candidates, most of them new to electoral politics, felt unsupported by the party. At least one, Sudha Kurup in Pathanamthitta, has reportedly shifted her allegiance to the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Party leaders expressed concern that more could follow suit.
The party was also largely unsuccessful in ironing out differences between factions at the ward level. It was reportedly found wanting in establishing a connect with social organisations and religious communes.
Some leaders reportedly dismissed the argument that the social welfare measures of the government, including free rations and distribution of food kits, had carried the day for the LDF. They pointed out that the Congress had registered modest gain in several districts despite several handicaps and apparent advantages of the ruling front.
The PAC also reportedly felt the selection of candidates did not always reflect winnability factor and age, caste and religious demographic patterns and appeared to lean heavily towards appeasing factional leaders.
Moreover, few influential leaders were away from the hustings and confined themselves mostly to press conferences and statements.
Bid to isolate Mullappally
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said on Friday that the party messaging did not seem to have percolated from the leadership to the voters entirely.
He said an attempt was afoot in the media to "isolate and attack" him for the failure. He compared himself to a deer beset by wolves. "Success has many fathers. But, failure is an orphan," he said.
Mr. Ramachandran had reportedly come under criticism in the party for his "obsolete, cut off and impervious" leadership style. He lamented that nobody had given him credit when the Congress had won majority of the seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
Mr. Ramachandran said the PAC had perceived a shift in the Congress votes. But he did not identify which party or coalition had benefited from the swing. The PAC saw a conducive political climate for a resilient Congress to emerge victorious in Assembly elections in 2021.
Mr. Ramachandran stayed clear of stating whether the PAC had deliberated the "political cost" of ousting Jose K. Mani from the coalition. He said the KPCC would hold a series of meetings in January to formulate a new course of action.
