Kerala: AAP and Twenty20’s front not to back any party in Thrikkakara bypoll

Both the ruling CPM and the Opposition Congress had been eagerly awaiting the decision of the People’s Welfare Alliance as Twenty20 had polled 13,800 votes in Thrikkakara in the 2021 elections.

The announcement was jointly made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Twenty20 chief co-ordinator Sabu M Jacob, who is also MD of KITEX, at a mass convention held at Kizhakkambalam near Kochi. (Photo: Twitter@Arvind Kejriwal/File)

The People’s Welfare Alliance (PWA), the political front floated by the Aam Aadmi Party and Twenty20, announced on Sunday that it would not back any party or front in the upcoming by-election in Kerala’s Thrikkakara Assembly constituency.

Twenty20 is the political party launched by garment major Kitex Group. Twenty20 chief co-ordinator Sabu M Jacob, who is also the managing director of Kitex Group, told reporters, “The outcome of this by-election is not going to make any impact in the state. But we urge our party workers to exercise their votes after evaluating the present political scenario. The decision is left to the people.’’ He was flanked by AAP state convener PC Cyriac.

Both the ruling CPM and the Opposition Congress had been eagerly waiting for the PWA to announce its decision as Twenty20 had polled 13,800 votes in Thrikkakara in the 2021 Assembly elections. After the by-election was announced early this month, Twenty20 and the AAP said they would not field any candidate. Besides the stated reason of the relative “insignificance” of the bypoll, another factor is that the AAP is not in the habit of contesting by-elections in states where it is not in power.

After the alliance decided not to field any candidate for the by-election, both CPM and the Congress have been wooing Twenty20 with an eye on the 13,800 votes polled in 2021 by the party floated by the corporate firm.

Although Jacob has announced that the PWA will not back any front in the by-election, he has been critical of the Left Democratic Front government’s proposed semi-high-speed rail corridor. He has had a strained relationship with the CPM after government agencies frequently inspected the Kitex factory. Accusing the CPM-led government of harassing investors, the garment group had abandoned a new project in the state and moved to Telangana.

And two months ago, a worker of Twenty20 was thrashed to death by CPM workers at Kizhakkambalam in Ernakulam, where Kitex is headquartered.

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