Thiruvananthapuram: The Twenty20, a political outfit backed by garment manufacturing giant Kitex Garments, that made a surprise entry into Kerala politics in the 2015 civic body elections is gearing up for a significant expansion. It plans to contest around 55 panchayats and three municipalities—Thrikkakara, Maradu and Aluva—and the Kochi Corporation in the local body polls in Kerala later this year.
Launched in 2013 as a corporate social responsibility initiative of garment manufacturing giant Kitex Garments, the Twenty20, headquartered in Ernakulam’s Kizhakkambalam, won the Kizhakkambalam Grama Panchayat in Ernakulam district in its debut poll in 2015, securing 17 of the 19 seats.
In the 2020 local body elections, it retained Kizhakkambalam and won three more panchayats—Aikkaranad, Kunnathunad and Mazhuvannoor—in the district, while also becoming a force in the Vengola panchayat.
The outfit does not follow any particular political ideology, rather it is driven by “politics of welfare and transparent governance”, with a focus on offering subsidies and basic infrastructure. It also calls itself an alternative to the “corrupt politics of traditional parties”.
Sabu M. Jacob, Kitex Group managing director and chief coordinator of the Twenty20, told ThePrint the organisation has carefully chosen the 55 panchayats which it would contest.
“Unlike other political parties that only become active during elections, we have been continuously strengthening our party since its formation,” he said, adding the outfit now has a strong grassroots presence in those 55 panchayats spread across Central and southern Kerala—from Palakkad to Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala has a total of 1,200 local self-governing bodies including 941 grama panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 87 municipalities, and six corporations.
According to Sabu Jacob, the decision to expand was driven by the strong public support in the group’s existing local bodies. He said the outcome of this election will play a crucial role in deciding whether to contest future assembly polls.
The Kitext Group was Founded by Sabu Jacob’s father M.C. Jacob in 1968. Sabu became its chairman in 2006. The company and its management have had frequent run-ins with the state’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) during Sabu’s tenure.
Sabu has also repeatedly faced allegations from both LDF and United Democratic Front (UDF) local MLAs in Kochi of operating a polluting business in the state.
In 2021, the businessman alleged unnecessary frequent inspections on his premises by authorities, and said he was forced to move his business out of the state. The same year, he announced to shift Rs 3500-crore worth of investment to Telangana. In June this year, the group also held talks with the Andhra Pradesh government to invest there.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Kerala government has rejected Sabu’s criticism, saying his statement should be seen in the context of his association with the Twenty20.
Kitex is one of the largest private-sector employers in Kerala led by a Malayalee. According to Sabu, it employs 16,000 people in the state, most of whom are interstate migrants.
With a market cap of Rs 5,608.94 crore, the company recorded a profit of Rs 138.73 crore after tax in FY 2024-2025, marking a growth of 146.28 percent in profit after tax compared to the previous fiscal year, according to an Economic Times Markets report.
“Politics for us is not about earning. The people in this movement are hardworking. If people support us, we will continue. We decided to expand because the four panchayats we already hold are very supportive. But if we lose, we will accept it and not consider contesting the assembly polls. These local body elections are crucial for us,” he said.
The Twenty20 has also contested assembly elections before. In the 2021 Kerala assembly polls, it fielded candidates in eight constituencies in the Ernakulam district. Although it did not win any seat, its candidate in Kunnathunad, Sujith P. Surendran, came third, ahead of the NDA candidate. The group briefly formed an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in May 2022, but it came apart the following year over ideological differences.
Sabu Jacob said the Twenty20 leadership has sought a list of five names from each selected ward to finalise candidates, with age, education, and family background being crucial factors.
“We primarily look for people below 40 years, graduates, and those from good family backgrounds who are not creating any nuisance in the region,” he said, adding the candidates will be finalised in coming months.
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Confidence at the grassroots
At the grassroots, Twenty20 workers expressed confidence they would perform well in the local body polls. Mathews Paul, a ward member in Aikkaranad panchayat, said their groundwork began two years ago with the formation of booth-level committees.
“One committee member works directly with 10 houses in each locality,” he said. “Once we are confident about the work there, we will field the candidates.”
He added the party’s focus remains firmly on Ernakulam.
Sabu Jacob said the party has strong organisational structures in all selected panchayats, noting that Kizhakkambalam alone has a 2,400-member committee. “We have similar strength in other areas.”
Another panchayat member, Jeel Mavalil, said they take confidence from the developmental work they have been undertaking in their gram panchayats.
“When we came, the roads were in bad condition, and the street lights weren’t functioning. We fixed all of it in four years. All residents were beneficiaries of at least one of our schemes,” he said.
Both Paul and Mavalil said they joined the Twenty20 after witnessing “positive changes” in Kizhakkambalam following its 2015 victory.
Jacob added that the party ensured food and medicine security through subsidised shops in local bodies it governs. In Kizhakkambalam, it runs a restaurant providing free meals and a gym for residents, funded through the panchayat budget and sponsorships.
“We ensure corruption-free governance with transparency. That is what we hope to expand to other places too,” he said.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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