Thiruvananthapuram: Congress party is in a quandary as its junior ally Kerala Congress (Mani) continues to flex its muscles demanding three Lok Sabha seats.
It will affect its election committee meeting scheduled for Monday as the next round of bilateral talks happens only on Tuesday.
The panel scheduled its first sitting, chaired by AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Mukul Wasnik, hoping to finalise seat sharing with allies by Sunday.
The election commission is expected to notify staggered elections spread over April and May this week.
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran has called a meeting of leaders from the northern districts in Kozhikode on Tuesday to discuss party president Rahul Gandhi's visit and poll rally on the beach there on March 12.
Currently, the lone seat of KC (M) is Kottayam. K. M. Mani and P. J. Joseph wants one more each for their loyalists, exposing cracks within.
But Congress leader at the first round maintained that they are already facing the heat after parting with a Rajya Sabha seat for Jose K. Mani, who was representing Kottayam in Lok Sabha.
They could silence the KC (M) to a certain extent raising it, but a senior KC (M) leader said both are firm in their stand.
“Congress leadership is not going to change its stand either on Tuesday or the third round of talks at Aluva Guest House,” he told DC.
“Mr Joseph is keen to contest from Kottayam where he has got ample support of party workers and the general public along with the UDF leadership. When the hierarchy is considered, he has more edge over junior Mani’s loyalists eyeing the seat.”
Out of eight sitting Congress MPs, six are expected to contest again. Pathanamthitta DCC has decided not to nominate Anto Antony, and Wayanad has to find a new face after the death of M. I. Shanavas.
