Corruption top poll issue in Sultan Bathery

KALPETTA: The local body elections in Sultan Bathery municipality have escalated into a pivotal political confrontation, acting as a critical barometer for the UDF and LDF ahead of the assembly polls. The result here will not simply determine local council control but will send a political signal regarding the resonance of corruption allegations and the UDFs ability to recover from internal setbacks. Two interconnected issues are posing challenge to the Congress-led front. First is the recent death of party treasurer N M Vijayan, which has created a substantial leadership void and fuelled internal party distress. The LDF is aggressively using this, with Sultan Bathery municipal LDF convener Lijo Johny asserting that the circumstances surrounding Vijayans death expose the corrupt and miserable condition of the Congress across Kerala. Second, the simultaneous corruption cases against the Congress-led Sultan Bathery Cooperative Bank have provided the LDF powerful ammunition. Since cooperative banks are deeply woven into the local political fabric, the scandals threaten to severely erode the trust of swing voters and cooperative members, thereby becoming a central theme in the LDFs campaign to paint the UDF as fundamentally compromised on governance. LDF is specifically demanding the resignation of Sultan Bathery MLA I C Balakrishnan, citing a vigilance case against him and leveraging the circumstances of Vijayans death. UDF is attempting to take control of the narrative by launching a robust counter-offensive. It settled the cooperative bank debts of Vijayans family to mitigate political damage. Crucially, it is trying to portray LDF as corrupt by highlighting the financial instability and investment issues plaguing the Brahmagiri Development Society, which is under CPM control. The recent protests by around 80 Brahmagiri investors demanding police action over non-returned funds have provided UDF with tangible evidence for its counter-narrative. UDF leaders such as KPCC general secretary K L Paulose have vehemently defended MLA Balakrishnan, arguing that the CPMs campaign is meant solely to weaken the Congress and, more importantly, to cover up the Brahmagiri fraud. Meanwhile, the NDA is positioning itself as an anti-corruption alternative. It has resolved to hold public meetings and protests in every ward, explicitly highlighting the cooperative sector appointment scams and the Brahmagiri investment crisis. This strategy aims to capitalise on public frustration by linking both the UDF and the LDF to failures within the critical cooperative sector.