Thiruvananthapuram: Konny Congress MLA Adoor Prakash will have several hurdles to cross before he can hope to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Attingal as planned. Veteran Congress leader Vakkom Purushothaman, 90, six-time Attingal MLA, has fired the first salvo against him saying, “Adoor Prakash will not contest from Attingal as there are many suitable local candidates.” Mr Purushothaman’s is one of the many dissident voices against Mr Prakash, who is considered as a rank outsider.
Mr Purushothaman, a two-time MP from Alappuzha, told DC that Mr Prakash is a sitting MLA and has better prospects from Konny as a legislator. The KPCC leadership has decided against fielding sitting MLAs in the Lok Sabha elections. “There are several deserving leaders from Attingal to contest the elections. We will discuss the candidature only after February 28,” said Mr Purushothaman who was former Governor of Mizoram and Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Mr Prakash told DC that he was unaware of the moves against him.
“I will contest only if the party asks me as I have always been with the people of Konny,” he said. Over the last few weeks, Mr Prakash has been active in Attingal constituency, though he has not started any campaign. He has the backing of KPCC leaders, including former chief minister Oommen Chandy and Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala.
The Congress has come a cropper in Attingal ever since CPM’s Susheela Gopalan wrested the seat from it in the 1991 LS elections. This time the KPCC wanted to field a popular Ezhava candidate and zeroed in on Adoor Prakash. The talks on Congress candidates will take place only by March 1 after party president Mullapally Ramachan-dran’s Jana Mahayatra concludes here on February 28.
