A farmers’ organisation in Kerala has decided to contest the upcoming Assembly elections, resorting to a hardball tactic to get the three major political fronts to resolve issues arising from man-animal conflicts.
The Kerala Independent Farmers’ Association (KIFA) plans to contest in 30 Assembly constituencies across 13 districts where man-animal conflicts are rampant, which is likely to make a significant dent in the vote banks of the LDF, UDF and the NDA.
Alappuzha district, which is devoid of forests, doesn’t experience this problem.
Kerala has lost 17 lives to man-animal conflicts in 2025-26 so far compared with 67 in 2024-25.
The KIFA has, over the years, held several protests to highlight the plight of victims of man-animal conflicts and against the state’s “anti-farmer policies”.
In July 2021, Kerala High Court passed an interim order in favour of KIFA, facilitating the shooting of wild boars that destroy crops. The court directive prompted the state government to issue orders authorising local self-government heads to hire licensed shooters to cull wild boars.
At a media conference at Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district on Saturday, KIFA released a poll manifesto and announced plans to field candidates in 30 Assembly constituencies out of the total 140 seats.
KIFA chairman Alex Ozhukayil told The Telegraph that they had decided to contest mostly in Wayanad, Kannur, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts.
“We have identified 30 constituencies across the state where man-animal conflict has been detrimental to the farmers’ livelihood. If the three political fronts meet our demands to curb man-animal conflicts and to resurrect the beleaguered agricultural sector, then we may not contest in the election,” Alex said.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunny Joseph, an MLA from Peravoor Assembly constituency in Kannur district, had taken up KIFA’s issues and suggested ways to mitigate man-animal conflicts in the Assembly on multiple occasions.
“Despite the Congress-led UDF being in the Opposition, we have raised issues before the state and also the Centre. I had raised at least 10 adjournment motions in the Assembly during the second Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government. I’ve held several rounds of meetings with KIFA. The Congress will take a call on whether more meetings with KIFA are needed,” Joseph said.
Ozhukayil plans to contest against Joseph, who has been a sitting Peravoor MLA since 2011.