Explained : In Kerala, Congress struggles for balance in caste-driven poll politics | Kochi News and Its Impact

T’puram: The Congress leadership’s muted response to the sharp criticism levelled by NSS supremo G Sukumaran Nair and SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan against opposition leader V D Satheesan reveals more than tactical restraint — it exposes the party’s growing anxiety over shifting social alliances ahead of the assembly elections.Vellappally described Satheesan as “a flower that bloomed only yesterday” while Nair questioned his “double standards over communalism”.Instead of mounting a counter-offensive, Congress leaders chose a calibrated line of defence, backing both Satheesan and the community leaders. This carefully balanced posture underlines the party’s reluctance to further strain its already fragile relationship with the NSS and the SNDP, the organisations that continue to wield significant influence among Nair and Ezhava communities. The absence of any direct criticism of Nair or Vellapally indicates that electoral arithmetic, rather than ideological confrontation, is guiding the party’s response.Within the Congress, there is palpable concern over the visible convergence between the Nair and the Ezhava leaderships. A consolidation of these two dominant social blocs is being viewed as potentially damaging, particularly in four southern districts where their combined influence could decisively alter electoral outcomes. This fear explains why even KPCC president Sunny Joseph avoided any critical remarks against the leadership of both NSS and SNDP, signalling a broader organisational consensus on damage control.At the same time, the controversy has triggered an internal course correction. Several senior leaders have attempted to dilute Satheesan’s earlier remark that victory or defeat in the fight against communalism is immaterial. Their intervention reflects a pragmatic view that ideological positioning cannot be divorced from electoral realities, especially when community equations remain central to Kerala’s political landscape. Mavelikkara MP Kodikunnil Suresh’s meeting with Sukumaran Nair — undertaken after consultations with senior party leaders — was a clear outreach effort aimed at preventing a deeper rift.However, Satheesan remains unyielding, backed by a section within the party that believes the Congress and the UDF have already demonstrated electoral resilience without the explicit support of these community organisations, particularly in the local body elections. This camp argues that yielding to pressure from NSS and SNDP leaders would undermine the party’s autonomy and long-term credibility.The episode thus lays bare a fundamental tension within the Congress: The struggle to balance ideological posturing against communalism with the compulsions of caste and community-driven electoral politics. How the party navigates this contradiction in the coming months could play a decisive role in shaping its prospects in the assembly elections.