The imbroglio over seat-sharing within the United Democratic Front (UDF) may soon end with the Kerala Congress led by P.J. Joseph most likely to get 10 seats, including three in Kottayam. A final announcement is expected on Sunday.
UDF sources said the faction would get 10 seats, including Changanassery, Ettumanoor and Kaduthuruthi in Kottayam district. The faction’s demand for the Muvattupuzha seat in Ernakulam, is unlikely to be acceded to.
Five for Cong
“The faction will also get Thodupuzha, Idukki, Kuttanad, Thiruvalla, Kothamangalam, Irinjalakuda, and Perambra seats. But it will withdraw its claims over the Kanjirappally and Poonjar. With this, Congress will have five seats in Kottayam district. The Joseph group will contest in three and NCP-Kerala led by Mani C. Kappan in one seat,” said a UDF leader.
The Joseph group, meanwhile, is yet to agree with the Congress stance on the Muvattupuzha seat as it wants the constituency for accommodating Francis George, who recently switched sides from the Janadhipathya Kerala Congress. The regional party, according to sources, may even consider handing over the Perambra seat to the Congress in lieu of the Muvattupuzha seat.
The Congress too has staked a claim over Muvattupuzha as it seeks to field either Joseph Vazhakkan, a close confidant of Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, or Mathew Kuzhalnadan, a nominee of KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran, in the seat.
Protest by Youth Cong.
Meanwhile, protests continued to rage among Congress workers in Kottayam against a proposal to award the Ettumanoor seat to the Joseph group. A section of Youth Congress workers under the Ettumanoor Block Youth Congress committee staged a sit-in in front of the Kottayam District Congress committee (DCC) office on Saturday.
The protesters pointed out that the undivided Kerala Congress (M) had lost the seat in two consecutive elections. The Joseph group, however, maintains that the party wields considerable clout across the constituency and also points to its victory from the Athirampuzha division of the Kottayam district panchayat during the recent local body elections as a case in point.
Published - March 06, 2021 11:29 pm IST
