Kerala Assembly elections: Congress racked by open haggling for seats

Thiruvananthapuram: The rush of ticket aspirants in the Congress has forced the party to delay the list with the election committee meeting scheduled to be held on Saturday. Indira Bhavan witnessed hectic parleys during the KPCC executive and the first election committee meeting on Wednesday. While senior leaders are worried about their candidature, Youth Congress and women leaders and newcomers are hopeful of representation. Senior Congress leader A. K. Antony has reportedly asked the KPCC leadership to earmark seats for his loyalists. About 50 YC leaders had confronted Mr Chandy, Mr Antony and the KPCC leaders on Tuesday demanding seats.

A prominent Congress leader told DC that the final list would come only after Easter holidays. “The next sitting of the election committee will be held on March 19. The trip of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala to New Delhi has also been postponed. The committee meeting which was attended by AICC leaders Mukul Wasnik and Dipak Babaria decided to delay the process,” he said.

The KPCC has appointed a two-member committee to inquire into the poster war against sitting Irikkur MLA K. C. Joseph. KPCC general secretaries Sajeev Joseph, who was earlier with ‘I’ camp and now is not attached to any faction, and Mr Satheeshan Pacheni, who is attached to Sudheeran camp, have been eyeing Irikkur.