Thiruvananthapuram: Munambam village, the place the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) struggled to search out candidates not way back, emerged as one of many get together’s decisive victories within the just lately concluded native physique polls in Kerala. However the get together’s victory after greater than 400 days of protests over the disputed land has divided the village.
Munambam Kadapuram ward of Pallipuram panchayat elected Kunjimon of the BJP with 582 votes. Augustine defeated Rocky Binoy Binoy of the Communist Get together of India (Marxist) by a margin of 31 votes. Congressional candidate Dani Camu Camu lower than 400 votes.
The victory comes amid an ongoing dispute over the Waqf Board’s declare to possession of 404 acres of land, which is residence to about 600 households. Residents of fishing communities made up of Latin Catholics, Syriac Catholics, and Hindus had been stripped of their earnings rights in 2022. They launched a protest in September 2024 demanding related rights.
The Bharatiya Janata Get together initially seen the protests as a political concern, however nationwide downsideincessantly cites the agitation justifying the Waqf (Modification) Act, 2025. Nevertheless, the invoice, which was beforehand hailed as an answer to the Munambam dispute, didn’t yield any outcomes.
The protests ended on November 30 after the Kerala Excessive Courtroom issued an interim order restoring earnings rights to residents. Nevertheless, the splinter group Folks with suspected hyperlinks to the BJP proceed to protest exterior the Velankani Matha church demanding a everlasting resolution.
When the waqf claimed the land of greater than 600 Hindu and Christian households who had lived there for generations, they had been left to battle alone. As a result of the Congress and the Left remained silent on vote financial institution appeasement. It was solely the BJP that stood with the individuals of Munambam and fought until the tip. pic.twitter.com/rsZrH0pBA5
— BJP Keralam (@BJP4Keralam) December 13, 2025
Protest convenor Joseph Benny instructed ThePrint that it was a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Get together. Munambang It was an expression of gratitude for making a neighborhood concern a nationwide concern, even when the get together couldn’t clear up the issue.
“The Bharatiya Janata Get together was the primary get together to help us. The modification did not change something. However now the central authorities can nonetheless act. We have now given the district councilors to the central authorities. There will probably be subsequent elections quickly. If they cannot do something, this would possibly not occur once more,” he stated.
If the BJP can resolve the difficulty, the whole Christian neighborhood will vote for the get together, he stated. The state authorities solely intervened after stress from the federal government. Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) And a church, the Munambam resident added. “That is why the CPI(M) got here second. If neither does something, we’ll vote for the Congress.”
In response to get together leaders, the BJP had restricted help domestically, which was mirrored in its victory. This additionally emphasised that the get together was nonetheless removed from receiving help from the church. “The Bharatiya Janata Get together candidates are at warfare with native church buildings. The clergy are towards the get together,” a Bharatiya Janata Get together chief stated.
In the meantime, Kerala BJP common secretary Anup Antony Joseph hailed the get together’s victory. Munambang as “historic”.
When the ballot outcomes had been introduced on December 13, Mr. Anoop wrote to
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divided village
The land dispute within the coastal village, 37 km from Kochi, dates again a long time. The disputed land was initially leased by the Maharaja of Travancore to Abdul Sattar Sait, a Gujarati dealer who settled in Kochi. In 1950, Sait’s descendants transferred the land to Farooq College below a waqf deed. A dispute over possession between Munambang residents and the college started within the Nineteen Seventies, however was briefly resolved.
Nevertheless, the church’s priest, Father Anthony Talair, instructed ThePrint that the church’s intervention introduced the difficulty to wider consideration. “Many consider that though the CPI(M) supported the individuals, the Congress votes went to the BJP. There are blended emotions among the many individuals. We consider the votes had been cut up between three events.”
The priest stated the church had by no means supported any political get together and was making an attempt to resolve the difficulty a lot earlier by making representations to the Kerala authorities and the Excessive Courtroom. “The get together (BJP) labored laborious to win the polls and garnered help from the individuals. We additionally discovered that they had been additionally making different efforts, like resolving money owed of some individuals and donating cash. There are quite a lot of drinkers right here. Some could have supported them as they had been ingesting daily. That is how the get together grew right here too.”
A clip of my speech in Munambam, Kerala. Justice will probably be given to the struggling fishermen’s households. pic.twitter.com/jfFHokKlTF
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) April 16, 2025
“Earlier, we thought this modification would resolve the difficulty. However nothing occurred. We had been anticipating an announcement when (Union Minority Affairs Minister) Kiren Rijiju visited (in April). Now, it appears we’ve got forgotten. At the moment, individuals realized that solely the Kerala authorities can act,” he added.
The priest added that the BJP had used the difficulty to sharply divide the diocese. “I believe this protest was a failure. No matter we achieved, individuals at the moment are politically divided. We have now seen many elections and by no means something like this. It’s a small village the place everybody is aware of one another. However in latest months, individuals haven’t even talked to one another or sat collectively throughout Sunday Mass. It’s disheartening,” he stated.
(Edited by Tony Lai)
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