After days of uncertainty marked by police complaints, public altercations and prolonged negotiations, the simmering feud within the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Pala appears to have entered a temporary truce, with coalition partners revising their power-sharing arrangement ahead of a crucial municipal council meeting on Wednesday.

In a move aimed at defusing the crisis, the UDF has now decided to hand over the post of vice-chairperson to the Congress after incumbent vice-chairperson Maya Rahul demits office at the end of this month. Under the earlier power-sharing formula, the position was slated to go to Binu Pulikkakandam of the three-member independent collective, whose influence over the civic body’s administration had become a source of friction with a section of Congress councillors.

Congress leaders said the independent collective has also agreed to a series of demands raised by the party, including the withdrawal of a theft complaint lodged against Congress councillors and the formation of a UDF steering committee to oversee the administration of the municipality.

Trust deficit

However, the settlement appears to have done little to bridge the trust deficit between the two sides. Several Congress councillors have indicated that while they may abide by the coalition’s decision for now, they intend to continue challenging the disproportionate influence exercised by the independent collective within the UDF.

At least four UDF councillors, including Congress Parliamentary Party leader Tony Thaiparambil, are learnt to have conveyed their reservations to the party leadership. “It is better to sit in the opposition than budging to Mr. Pulikkakandam or his independent collective for the sake of retaining power,” said one of the dissident Congress councillors.

The dissidents have already taken their grievances to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), urging the leadership to protect the party’s organisational interests in Pala. They have also proposed that the independents extend unconditional outside support to a Congress-led council rather than remain part of the ruling arrangement.

According to their proposal, the Congress could consider supporting an independent candidate for the chairperson’s post in a subsequent term only if a stable understanding is reached between the two sides. The party leadership is yet to take a decision on these demands.

Court order

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the unauthorised autorickshaw stand inside the Kottaramattom Bus Terminal Complex, which triggered the latest round of tensions within the coalition, has taken a fresh turn. The High Court has directed the police to remove the autorickshaw stand, a development that has altered the political context of the special municipal council meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

The meeting had been convened amid plans by the Opposition to move a resolution on the autorickshaw stand issue, with the Congress reportedly preparing to support the move. With the court having now intervened, the political significance of the debate has undergone a substantial shift, even as the larger battle for influence within the UDF remains far from settled.