THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Assembly elections around the corner, there has been a mad scramble for seats. Wherever KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran is going with his Jana Raksha Yatra, he is being inundated with requests for seats by the sitting MLAs and KPCC office bearers.
But the most tensed are going to be sitting MLAs K. Babu, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, K. C. Joseph, Dominic Presentation, Varkala Kahar, Palode Ravi and K. Sivadasan Nair, who have been in the fray for four to five times.
Though Mr Sudheeran was tight-lipped on whether he would contest from Manalur in Thrissur district, highly placed sources confirmed to DC that he would.
With just two rounds of bilateral talks held with the allies, Congress has decided to take Kuttanad seat from Kerala Congress, give Kovalam to JD (U) and take back Nemom.
A top KPCC leader told DC that as per the internal arrangement with Muslim League, Congress will take over Thiruvambady. Similarly, Congress will keep Pathanapuram seat held by KC (B) which has switched sides.
KPCC treasurer Johnson Abraham is eyeing Kuttanad. KPCC general secretary Thampanoor Ravi and party vice-president M. M. Hassan are already fighting it out for Vamanapuram.
Health minister V. S. Sivakumar wants to move to Parassala from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency.
"When Sudheeran arrives in each district, there is a mad rush of local Congress leaders to show their strength. The irony is that all the three senior leaders including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, home minister Ramesh Chennithala as well as Mr Sudheeran are pushing their nominees to ensure enough supper in the CM race eventually," said a top KPCC leader.
Sources also revealed that K. Sudhakaran is eying the Kannur seat where sitting legislator A. P. Abdullakutty in all likelihood will get the boot.
When cadres want more women, youth and fresh faces in the fray, the ball is in the courts of KPCC and AICC to decide on the long sitting MLAs.
