THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The seat sharing discussions that the LDF had earlier fixed for Thursday will now be held only after March 13. However, the LDF state committee will meet as scheduled on March 10. “We are going to discuss the organisational issues related to polls. The meeting will be deliberating on the poll strategies to be adopted by the front and also preliminary discussions on the campaign mode,’’ LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan told DC.
He said the seat sharing discussion among the front constituents will take place only after March 13. When asked whether the demands of the breakaway group of Kerala Congress Mani led by Francis George and Gowri Amma’s JSS would be taken up after March 13, he said all issues pertaining to seat distribution would be held after Sunday.
In bilateral talks held with CPM recently, Francis George had demanded four seats Thodupuzha, Kothamangalam, Kadathuruthy and Kuttanad. The P J Joseph group had contested these seats earlier. Gowri Amma had held discussions with top CPM leaders at the AKG Centre on Saturday demanding five seats Aroor, Cherthala, Muvatupuzha, Varkala and Eravipuram.
R Balakrishna Pillai’s party KC(B) has demanded Kottarakara and Pathanapuram. Ganesh Kumar is all set to contest as LDF candidate in Pathanapuram and he is likely to face another film actor Jagadish who figures in the Congress list of potential candidates.
CPI has demanded Kannur or Koothuparamba in place of Irikkur which the party contested last time. The CPI candidate had lost the elections by over 10,000 votes. With the Congress increasing its lead in the Lok Sabha polls and local bodies poll, the CPI wants a safe seat like Kannur or Koothaparamba.
JD(S) state president Mathew T Thomas said his party would place demand for more seas at the LDF meet. He said seat sharing within the front would be resolved amicably.
