Dissent in Kerala Congress over Palakkad by-poll candidate, good news for BJP?

Less than a day after the Kerala Congress announced its candidate for the upcoming by-election in Palakkad assembly constituency, there is disagreement over the nominee.
The Congress in Kerala had declared Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil as United Democratic Front’s candidate for Palakkad seat.
However, the convenor of Congress’s digital media cell P Sarin reportedly asked that the party reconsider the candidate. He reportedly has written to All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to rethink this decision. He wrote that if Congress loses the Palakkad seat to BJP, it’s Rahul Gandhi who loses the election.
Mamkootathil said Sarin was his good friend and he did not want to comment on it.
With dissent brewing regarding Mamkootathil as Palakkad candidate, senior leader AK Antony said even if there are differences now, in the end everybody will come together to campaign for Rahul. “If it’s a seat that has high winning prospects, then many candidates will ask for that seat. But if the High Command has made a decision everybody will accept it.” Antony said.
According to sources, Mamkootathil’s name was the only one submitted to the AICC, but before that Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee had considered Sarin, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president VT Balram and even K Muralidharan as possible candidates.
Palakkad will go for polling on November 13. The election was necessitated because Shafi Parambil resigned as the MLA there, to take up his membership in Lok Sabha as Vadakara representative. Shafi has represented Palakkad in the Kerala state assembly since 2011.
The BJP has given a tight contest to the Congress in Palakkad in the past two assembly elections. The BJP finished a close second in the 2021 assembly elections, when BJP’s E Sreedharan lost to Shafi Parambil by a margin of 3,480 votes. In 2016 state elections, BJP’s Sobha Surendran managed to get over 29 per cent vote share in Palakkad.