THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The final list of Congress candidates would be announced only by the end of this month or by early next month, KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran told reporters after the Congress election committee meeting here on Monday. It was presided over by AICC general secretary in charge of the state, Mukul Wasnik.
The third sitting of the election committee will be held on March 26. Currently, the KPCC leadership has listed three to seven names from each constituency. At the next meeting, they will zero in on the minimum number of candidates from each constituency.
After making additions or deletions as required, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Mr Sudheeran and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala will leave for New Delhi on March 27.
“The screening committee of the AICC will examine the list of candidates submitted by the KPCC leadership,” said Mr Sudheeran. The election committee meeting will also consider the names of aspirants who have not found a place in the preliminary list.
The screening committee will meet under the chairmanship of Mr Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on March 28 and 29 and the central election committee on March 30 and 31. Apart from Mahila Congress and Youth Congress candidates, senior Congress leaders Vakkom Purushothaman and M. M. Jacob also attended the election committee meeting.
Meanwhile, talks with allies – JDU, KC (J), RSP and KC (M)--remained inconclusive. The Congress leadership decided to hold the next round of talks on Wednesday.
