Having finalised the seat-sharing plan for the Kottayam district panchayat after intense negotiations, the United Democratic Front now finds itself grappling with a political puzzle of its own making with the decision to allocate a seat to the IUML after 25 long years.For the IUML, the move marks a significant breakthrough. Ever since its defeat in the Erumeli division in 2000, the Congress had kept the Kottayam district panchayat firmly out of bounds for its ally, rejecting repeated demands every election cycle. This time, however, the League stood its ground through days of hard bargaining led by senior Congress leaders Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and K.C. Joseph. And by late Friday night, the Congress relented, conceding a single seat with a caveat that the division to be allotted would be declared within 48 hours.But the compromise carries a twist. The Congress wants the League to field its candidate as a UDF independent, without using the IUML’s own election symbol, the ladder. Party sources say the Congress fears that if the IUML candidate contests under the party symbol, it could drive away both Christian and Hindu voters across Central Travancore. ``It’s a risk the coalition cannot afford after its previous defeat in the district panchayat’’, pointed out a senior UDF leader.The IUML, meanwhile, is playing the long game. Accepting the independent-candidate formula, a senior IUML leader noted that it still enables the party to `count the seat in future negotiations’ and build leverage for upcoming electoral cycles.The IUML initially pressed for either the Mundakkayam or Erumely divisions, but the Congress has made it clear that both are off-limits. The most likely compromise now is the Thalanad division — a move partly aimed at easing pressure from the Kerala Congress, which is demanding eight seats, including Thalanad.Despite the tensions, the IUML exudes confidence and brushes aside concerns about communal repercussions. “There was no Muslim candidate last time, yet the UDF suffered one of its worst defeats here,” an IUML leader pointed out.If the IUML’s re-entry into the district panchayat has stirred discomfort, another UDF decision has generated even more heat. The move to allot seats to the Welfare Party of India ( two in Erattupetta municipality and one in Kanjirappally) has sparked internal dissent.Critics within the Congress warn that accommodating the Welfare Party could provoke a backlash across neighbouring regions. The unease has also spilled into the open when a local Congress leader publicly opposed handing over a sitting seat in Kanjirappally.Published - November 15, 2025 07:57 pm IST