Thiruvananthapuram, Monday, January 19, 2009: After the crucial United democratic Front meeting talking to scribes UDF spokesperson PP Thankachan said, that talks regarding sharing of seats will begin from February 3rd onwards. The party will try to solve the present deadlock over candidature to Rajya Sabha through talks he said.
The UDF meeting was held in the wake of Kerala Congress (M) leader KM Mani refusing to relent and is busy imply the pressure tactics to secure the seat. KM Mani had earlier lost out to the Congress in the past three occasions.
The Congress has almost made it sure that their candidate would be contesting the seat as at present they cannot do away with it. The state Congress leadership is confidant that they could easily pacify K.M. Mani on the issue.
On the other hand, K.M. Mani has decided to go ahead with the pressure tactics for securing the seat.
However, the Congress leaders are of the view that Mani was trying to put pressure on the state leadership so that he could easily secure the Kottayam Lok Sabha seat for his son. After the delimitation process, Mani has lost his party’s stronghold Muvattupuzha seat. Now the Pala constituency which Mani is representing for the past four decades comes under the Kottayam Lok Sabha seat.
Within the Congress, discussions are already on for the selection of candidate. Mullapally Ramachandran and KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala are the frontrunners for the seat. However, a section of the leaders are of the opinion that Chennithala should contest the Lok Sabha election as the party needs leaders like him and Vayalar Ravi to take on the CPM in the electoral fray.
The UDF leaders are of the view that this issue would not become a major bottleneck for the front as it could not lose its image at a time when the Lok Sabha elections are due in couple of months’ time. A patch-up formula also cannot be ruled out to pacify Mani.
There is also a version that Mani is hesitating to accept the Kottayam Lok Sabha seat since he was not sure of the winning capability of his son here.
Hence he wants to create a safer passage to send his son to the Parliament.
- By KOL News , Written on January 19, 2009
