Congress courts Prem Kumar as signals of his political shift intensify

Amid mounting speculation about his political future following a fallout with the CPI(M), former Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman and actor Prem Kumar on Tuesday attended a programme organised by the KPCC Samskara Sahithi, the Congress’s cultural wing.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Kumar declined to confirm whether he would join the Congress. “I have received invitations, but have not yet made up my mind,” he said, while underscoring the need for the Congress to remain a strong and secular political alternative.

Addressing his differences with the CPI(M), Mr. Kumar described the issue as one of political propriety rather than ideological divergence. His grievance, he said, was with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the manner of his removal from the academy chairmanship, adding that learning of his ouster through media reports was unacceptable.

Interestingly, the Congress had also explored the possibility of inviting Jayan Cherthala, an actor and leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), to the same event. However, those plans were disrupted after Congress general secretary K. C. Venugopal, who was scheduled to inaugurate the programme, was unable to attend due to prior commitments in Chennai. Mr. Cherthala is now expected to share the stage with him at a separate event in Alappuzha.

Congress sources, meanwhile, maintained that reports suggesting Mr. Kumar would be offered an Assembly seat were merely speculative, with no such discussions having taken place at the party level. Those close to him indicate that he is not actively seeking an Assembly ticket and that any future political move will align with the party’s broader strategy.

Mr. Kumar himself dismissed the speculation, stating that he had not received any offer of candidature for any constituency, though he was aware that his name was being considered in certain quarters.

According to sources, the United Democratic Front (UDF) is likely to involve him actively in the election campaign and, should the coalition return to power, he could be considered for a position on a government board or corporation.