Spate of suicides in Wayanad Congress exposes factional divides, hidden rot

The Congress in Wayanad, a Kerala district that now carries the prestige of the Gandhi family, is passing through one of the darkest phases in its history. A string of suicides by local leaders has laid bare the intensity of factional rivalries tearing through the party’s grassroots, exposing a deep rot beneath its political sheen.

In the span of just a decade, five suicides of party workers and leaders have been linked, directly or indirectly, to the factional conflicts within the Wayanad unit of the Congress. Each time, the leadership has sought to downplay the divisions, shifting the blame to conspiracies, external forces, or personal circumstances. But for grieving families and disillusioned cadres, these deaths have turned into a stark reminder of a party consumed by its own infighting, where ambition and factional loyalty often overshadow solidarity and care.

Also read: How two suicides in UAE uncover the plight of Kerala’s dependent migrant women

‘Abandoned by party’: Jose Nalladam in suicide note

The most recent tragedy struck last Friday when Jose Nalladam, a ward member of the Mullankolli panchayat, was found dead in a pond near his home. What turned Jose’s death into a political storm was a note and a video he left behind. In it, he accused the Congress of abandoning him during a crisis, recalling how he became the target of a vicious cyber campaign following a violent skirmish between rival groups within the party. The words painted a portrait of a man cornered and deserted by the very organisation he had worked for.

“There are people out there who are thirsty for my blood. On social media, I am painted as corrupt and a conspirator. All my life I have done public work without taking anything undeserved from anyone. These allegations have become unbearable,” Jose said in the recording.

Sulthan Bathery deaths

Jose’s death did not occur in isolation. It joined a grim list of similar tragedies haunting Wayanad Congress in recent years. In December last year, NM Vijayan, the district Congress treasurer, and his neurodivergent son Jijesh ended their lives in Sulthan Bathery. Their suicide note, which sent shockwaves across Kerala, directly named two senior leaders—DCC president ND Appachan and Sulthan Bathery MLA, IC Balakrishnan—for pushing Vijayan to take loans and mortgage his property to the tune of Rs 65 lakh. The note accused them of leaving him in the lurch once his financial troubles spiralled beyond control.

Also read: Kerala Youth Congress under fire over alleged misuse of Wayanad relief funds

After Vijayan’s death, the party conducted an internal inquiry following questions raised by his family. Congress leaders maintained that they had done everything possible, including taking over his loans, but the family insists they were betrayed.

‘No deal made with Vijayan’s family,’ says party

Vijayan’s daughter-in-law, Padmaja, who had been openly critical of the party after being denied an appointment with Priyanka Gandhi a couple of months ago, was briefly pacified through an agreement that she now claims the party failed to honour. On Saturday, Padmaja attempted suicide by slitting her wrist, leaving behind a note that read, “Killer Congress, have yet another prey.” She survived the attempt.

Also read: Kerala elections 2026: Left plots comeback by wooing Hindus, and minorities

T Siddique, the Congress MLA from neighbouring Kalpetta who mediated the agreement, maintained that the party had done all it could.

The KPCC president, on the other hand, denied that any agreement had been made with Vijayan’s family. “There is no such agreement. In fact, under the contract law of the land, any agreement made without the consent of the other party is ab initio void,” he said, noting his own background as a lawyer.

However, senior party leader and former Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who was entrusted by the leadership to look into the matter, submitted a report to the party and believes that while some of his recommendations were implemented, the process remains incomplete.

Alienation, shifting loyalties key triggers

“Wayanad has always been a district where we enjoyed complete control over the electorate, and we still do despite losing one Assembly segment. But there are certain likes and dislikes within the party that lie at the root of these problems. Those need to be addressed, and I hope the leadership is taking serious note and working towards a solution. I cannot disclose the content of my report at this point in time” he added.

Also read: Kerala to begin voter roll revision, sparking fears of Bihar-like exclusion

The party had seen similar episodes before. In 2015, PV John, a respected senior leader, took his life inside the Congress office in Mananthavady. He too felt abandoned, after local colleagues allegedly sided with a rebel candidate during the panchayat elections. More recently, Rajendran Nair, another Congress worker, died by suicide in the aftermath of a loan fraud case related to a local cooperative bank, his despair tied to allegations of irregularities in loan distribution by the bank ruled by UDF led director board.

Each of these deaths tells a story of individuals entangled in the power struggles and shifting loyalties that dominate the Wayanad Congress. Together, they have created an impression of a party unable to protect its own, where factional wars are fought not just in political arenas but in people’s personal lives.

Rivals question leaders’ ‘silence’

Reactions from the leadership have done little to soothe the crisis. Priyanka, who was present in Wayanad at the time of Jose’s death, refrained from commenting publicly, a silence that has drawn criticism from within and outside the party.

Also read: Kerala beats US in infant mortality, but home births pose ‘last mile’ challenge

The response from rival political parties has been sharp. Leaders of the CPI(M), seizing on the moment, likened the Congress in Wayanad to an “underworld gang,” accusing it of creating conditions that drove its own members to despair. At Jose’s funeral, the anger and grief were palpable. Friends and neighbours spoke of a man who had stood by the party through difficult times, only to be crushed under its infighting.

CPI(M) district secretary K Rafeeq alleged that Jose’s death was the result of power struggle between the MLA and the DCC president.” The Congress in Wayanad is functioning like an underworld gang. In the past decade, five Congress workers have taken their own lives here. Strict legal action is needed,” Rafeeq said.

Is Cong's moral standing eroding?

For ordinary Congress workers in Wayanad, the repeated deaths have sown unease and bitterness. A constituency, where Rahul Gandhi earlier found both political refuge and a renewed national profile, and where Priyanka has now staked her own ground, is witnessing a slow erosion of the Congress’s moral standing. The tragedies are no longer seen as isolated personal misfortunes; they have become part of a disturbing pattern that symbolises the party’s internal collapse.

Also read: CPI(M) shifts stance on Sabarimala women's entry issue as Ayyappa Sangamam nears

The fissures are now etched not just in election results or party meetings, but in the lives that have been lost with each death becoming a testament to the cost of factionalism and the silence of a leadership struggling to confront its own failures.

(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)