Thiruvananthapuram, Saturday, February 28, 2009: The efforts of State committee of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) to butter up its allies did not yield any major results as the allies are reported to be adamant in their demand. RSP is reported to have conveyed their unwillingness to give away the Kollam seat.

More discussions are with the allies are likely to follow after noon.

Hard bargaining for at least three seats.are on and the CPM is reported to be planning to take the Kozhikode seat from the Janata Dal (Secular) in exchange for the newly carved out Wayanad seat. It also wishes to have a common LDF candidate in Ponnani, which has been with the CPI for the last several elections.

There could also be some stiff bargaining over the Mavelikara seat which the CPI considers rightfully its, but where the CPI(M) would like to field its nominee. The RSP’s claim for the Kollam seat is unlikely to find any serious consideration from the CPM.

The two-day meeting of the CPM State secretariat is reported to have resolved to take away Kozhikode from the Janata Dal (Secular). Although the CPI(M) leadership has not made any formal statement in this regard, JD(S) State president M.P. Veerendrakumar has made it known that no such proposal would be acceptable to his party. If there is strong resistance from the JD(S), the CPI(M) might have no other option but to accede to the wishes of its ally.

The CPI is also reported to be averse to parting with the Ponnani seat because it would further dent the party’s attempts to retain its national identity.

According to party insiders, the party had gone in for the extreme measure of naming the seats that would be contested by it from Delhi much before the LDF arrived at a consensus on seat-sharing anticipating the CPI(M) move.

It might offer to put up a commonly acceptable candidate on the party symbol and would go in for any further concession only if the CPI(M) is able to come up with convincing arguments to that effect.