TRENDS
Why Nilambur bypoll result will tell us if Congress is losing its hold in Kerala
Nilambur, which is a part of the Muslim-majority Malappuram district, is a constituency where Muslim population is just short of the halfway mark. It represents an assembly which the Congress dominated for decades by attracting support across religious identities. In a crucial way, it encapsulates the party’s underlying political base in Kerala. It’s the stability of that base which is being tested this week
BUSINESS
Shashi Tharoor: Suitors aplenty but no great options
The animosity between the MP from Thiruvananthapuram and sections of Congress High Command is barely concealed. It a steep fall from the time Tharoor seemed to be a potential Kerala CM on a Congress platform. Is his defence of the BJP-led Centre a signal of his impending destination, or a harking for a more bipartisan era? Or, is Tharoor just a hard-nosed politician extracting something out of the leadership of a party under pressure?
POLITICS
Vizhinjam: The fascinating political backstory of India’s first deep water port
Dreamt of from the days of the Travancore kingdom, the port which is a mere 10 nautical miles away from the shipping route linking Europe to the Far East, got serious political backing after 1991. An unlikely cast of characters from the Congress and Left Front, along with the Adani group, transformed the dream into reality. That said, its potential remains limited in absence of supporting infrastructure
POLITICS
Shah Bano moment for Congress in Kerala
Kerala’s Latin Christians have been the bulwark of the Congress’ support base in the state. However, a bitter dispute between Waqf bodies and Christians over land holdings in the Munambam fishing hamlet found the grand old party unable to reconcile differences. Following the passage of the amendments to the Waqf law by Parliament, which Congress opposed, Kerala’s principal opposition party is on the back foot just when its prospects seemed bright for the 2026 Assembly election
POLITICS
Quo vadis, Shashi Tharoor?
Elected four consecutive times to Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, but always the ‘outsider’ to the state unit. Arguably, the most popular Congress leader in Kerala, but now at odds with his party as his state heads for an assembly election. Stuck in a Lok Sabha characterized by repeated disruptions and little space for opposition MPs, where does that leave the man once seen as Kerala’s CM-in-waiting?
POLITICS
All hail Captain Vijayan, Kerala’s ‘Red Guardian’
Encouraging a personality cult is the common thread running through Indian political parties, regardless of ideology. CPI-M was a rare exception, opting for a collective framework of decision making. Now, on the verge of near electoral irrelevance, the party has joined the mainstream in its last bastion, Kerala. Pinarayi Vijayan has converted electoral success into the building of a personality cult, reminiscent of a particular era in the Soviet Union
POLITICS
Underlying the Narayana Guru controversy is the Left’s fight to hold on to its political base in Kerala
The political battle to appropriate a towering figure of Kerala’s Renaissance Movement represents the CPM’s effort to retrieve lost ground before the next set of elections. Ezhavas, who closely identify with Sree Narayana Guru, have begun to move away from CPM towards BJP. That’s the nub of the matter
BUSINESS
Is Marxist volte-face to welcome private universities a decade too late for Kerala?
While the rest of South India saw the ravenous appetite for higher education opportunities among youngsters and opened the field to private capital, CPI(M) and its youth and student wings militantly opposed the move. Now faced with the prospect of a geriatric society where students are going abroad, the Marxists welcome foreign and private universities
POLITICS
Oommen Chandy (1943-2023): Devoted to public service and past master at realpolitik, a beloved leader passes
From emerging out of AK Antony’s shadow to becoming one of the most popular chief ministers to serve Kerala, the Congress party has lost its tallest leader in the state with Oommen Chandy’s passing. It was his comfort in being in the midst of people all the time that marked him out as a politician and public servant
ASSEMBLY-ELECTIONS
Congress preferring Siddaramaiah over DK Shivakumar is unlikely to end well with younger leaders losing out yet again
The Congress has yet again chosen safety over succession planning by elevating Siddaramaiah while overlooking the equally deserving and younger, DK Shivakumar. This has already happened too many times to the GOP’s detriment: Tarun Gogoi was preferred over Himanta Biswa Sarma Ashok Gehlot over Sachin Pilot
ASSEMBLY-ELECTIONS
Karnataka Election Results: Congress cracks the victory code, BJP’s double engine strategy blunted
With this win, Congress would have learned valuable lessons like the importance of unity and focusing on local bread and butter issues. BJP persisting with its national leadership fronting state assembly campaigns is yielding diminishing returns
POLITICS
Karnataka Elections: With Lingayats pushing back, BJP struggles to subsume caste identities within Hindutva narrative
Karnataka Elections 2023: Bolstered by its 2019 sweep, BJP replaced Yediyurappa with Bommai, and promoted Hindutva narratives on hijab, Tipu Sultan, etc. But the Hindutva tilt hasn’t yielded dividends and the strategy to reduce the party’s overdependence on the Lingayat community came close to backfiring
BUSINESS
For Kerala CPM, this may be a good time to begin succession planning
Pinarayi Vijayan isn’t getting any younger. A Lokayukta case nearly scalped him. Assembly polls are due only in 2026. Vijayan may have a decisive say in choosing his successor. Will it be son-in-law PA Mohammed Riyas, former health minister KK Shailaja, or the tactful industries minister P Rajeeve?
BUSINESS
Decoding Sharad Pawar: Rahul Gandhi would do well to study this 'Congressman at heart'
Sharad Pawar’s objection to the JPC demand on the Adani issue is not surprising coming from a leader who values pragmatism, nurturing personal relationships, building networks, fronting the good fight when needed, and whose wiles have served him admirably for over four decades
BUSINESS
Assembly elections in 2023 are no quarter-final or semi-final before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls
Despite the gains Congress made in 2018, 2019 presented a new set of political conditions leading to a BJP landslide in the Hindi heartland. Instead of opposition unity, Congress needs to figure out how to best BJP in direct contests
BUSINESS
An Archbishop’s political overtures to BJP cannot save Kerala’s rubber economy
Those parts of Kerala which once benefited from the boom in rubber prices are now in economic decline. Global factors like the supply glut in rubber have contributed to the situation and it is unlikely the central government will reciprocate fearing similar demands from farmers elsewhere
ASSEMBLY-ELECTIONS
A Left-Congress alliance is a win-win for both
Other than in Kerala where both sides are arch-foes, the Left and Congress have much to gain and nothing to lose in joining hands across the rest of the country
BUSINESS
After Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi’s Hindi oratory too needs a reset before Lok Sabha polls
Rahul Gandhi’s speeches on the campaign trail in Hindi heartland states have been dreary affairs, more likely to put voters to sleep with their consistent mediocrity. Hard work on this front too awaits the 52-year-old leader who has completed two decades in electoral politics
BUSINESS
Tightly leashing media at home but proponent of press freedoms elsewhere, Pinarayi Vijayan’s many hypocrisies
The police summons to TV anchor Vinu V John for remarks critical of bandhs smacks of vindictiveness. But it is just one more episode in a series of run-ins that the Kerala chief minister has had with the media
POLITICS
When it comes to satire and memes, politicians are fair game in Kerala
Kerala has a long tradition where the ruling class, from royalty back in the day to the current day politicians, have been criticised through art forms such as Chakyar Koothu to Kadhaprasangam to films to mimicry and even memes
BUSINESS
Why Kerala will not have a happy Onam this year
With COVID-19 infections highest in Kerala, a Left government complacent after winning a second term in office, and widespread reports of police harassment, it appears Onam will be a dull one this year
BUSINESS
Kerala needs to focus on investments conducive to its conditions
The Kerala government needs to roll out the red carpet and ensure every big company in the fintech sector sets up shop in the state. This doesn’t mean that Kerala has to turn its back on other industries
POLITICS
VD Satheesan is a ray of hope for a crestfallen Congress in Kerala
VD Satheesan is expected to liberate the Congress in Kerala from its recent practice of appeasement politics, which meant pandering to the regressive sections of each and every community alike
POLITICS
Pinarayi Vijayan’s swearing-in spectacle is illogical and insensitive
Pinarayi Vijayan’s defiance in going ahead with the swearing-in spectacle, despite alternative ways of taking oath as Mamata Banerjee demonstrated in West Bengal, could be the precursor to a more authoritarian second term for the Kannur strongman
