Unniyadan camp steps up revolt against Kerala Congress leadership

The simmering discontent in the Kerala Congress over the allocation of Cabinet-rank positions is spilling further into the open, with supporters of Irinjalakuda legislator Thomas Unniyadan preparing for another show of strength in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday (October 27, 2026).

The move comes a month after a meeting in Thrissur to honour the four-time legislator snowballed into a public show of dissent against the party leadership.

The Thrissur meeting, organised to mark Mr. Unniyadan’s 25 years as a legislator, saw leaders, including senior Congress leader T.N. Prathapan, openly questioning the denial of a Cabinet-rank position to him. The discontent escalated into a confrontation, with a separate meeting convened by the local Kerala Congress leadership in Irinjalakuda ending in a physical altercation between the two factions. Undeterred by the leadership’s opposition, Mr. Unniyadan’s supporters are now taking their campaign to the State capital.

Mr. Unniyadan said the meeting, titled ‘Snehadharam,’ was being organised by friends who had known him since his days at the Thiruvananthapuram Law Academy. He said his supporters felt he had been denied the recognition due to a leader who had spent years building the party, adding that their disappointment was understandable.

“I began my political career through the student wing of the Kerala Congress and rose through the ranks, taking on various responsibilities at every stage. Naturally, my supporters expected me to be given a position commensurate with my contributions when the United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power. They are disappointed that this did not happen,” he said.

Mr. Unniyadan also cited his electoral record, pointing out that he had wrested Irinjalakuda from the Left, which had once held sway in the constituency, and gone on to win four Assembly elections.

“Despite being a four-time MLA, I was overlooked for the post of Government Chief Whip, which was given to a first-time MLA. I also took the initiative for the merger of Kerala Congress groups in 2011 and should have been given priority. The decision was taken without any consultation, causing considerable dissatisfaction among party workers,” he said, adding that similar meetings were being planned in other districts too. Maintaining that his camp had no agenda beyond registering its dissent, he criticised senior leaders, including party chairman P.J. Joseph, for failing to intervene and address the issue.

The party leadership, meanwhile, appears reluctant to turn the dispute into a disciplinary confrontation. Leaders maintain that Mr. Unniyadan was given the Irinjalakuda seat despite opposition from within the party and the local Congress leadership. The leadership is understood to favour allowing the agitation to subside rather than risk deepening the divide through disciplinary action.

r. Unniyadan is not the only leader voicing discontent. Others, including Kerala Congress vice-chairperson Joseph M. Puthussery, have also stayed away from party forums and questioned what they see as the concentration of power under the current leadership following the Assembly elections.