The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Tuesday decided to appoint a committee to examine the undercurrents that were at play in the defeat of Congress candidate Shanimol Usman in the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency.
Alappuzha was the only blot in the Congress party’s copious victory in the Lok Sabha and Congress leaders did not hide their discomfiture at the defeat at a time when candidates in all the other 19 seats rode a major wave.
“We were a bit careless in Alappuzha,” was the reaction of KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran when he was asked about the defeat at a press conference soon after a leadership meeting here.
Bogus votes
The KPCC entrusted senior leader K.C. Joseph to look into the charges of bogus voting in several Malabar constituencies. Mr. Joseph would examine the pattern of bogus voting, besides collecting evidence on the role of poll officials who were linked to this. “Our attempt is to ensure that the malpractice is done away with permanently,” Mr. Ramachandran said.
Sabarimala law
The KPCC extended full support to the United Democratic Front’s decision to bring in legislation to protect the custom and practices in Sabarimala if it came to power. The massive election victory vindicated the party’s and the UDF’s stand on the Sabarimala issue.
CM should resign
Reiterating his demand for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s resignation, Mr. Ramachandran recalled that Mr. Vijayan had lost no time in demanding the resignation of the then Chief Minister A.K. Antony when the UDF lost 19 seats in the 2004 Lok Sabha election.
The Congress Political Affairs Committee decided to revamp its organisation set up in the Assembly segments which are due to witness byelections in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha polls.
