Kottayam: Poonjar may prove to be a slippery ground for the Kerala Congress (M) with two heavyweights, P.C. Joseph of the Democratic Kerala Congress and P.C. George of the Kerala Congress (Secular) set to battle it out. KC(M) chairman K.M. Mani has so far been unable to find a credible candidate to take on his bitter foes in Poonjar which may also witness a four-corned contest with the BDJS entering the fray.
Mr Mani has many scores to settle with his arch rivals who have been attacking him throughout and questioning his supremacy in the party.
Mr Mani will find it difficult to field a candidate who can challenge the two strong candidates with a long record of electioneering experience and public contact. Mr George has been winning from the constituency consistently.
There are suggestions that Mr Mani may be willing to give the seat to the Congress in exchange for a safer one, said sources. Kaduthuruthy MLA and senior K.C. (M) leader Mons Joseph said that such a proposition was improbable in the present context.
“Poonjar is a KC (M) stronghold and we can give it away only if we get a safe seat. However, we haven’t received such an offer from the Congress so far,” Mr Mons Joseph told DC.
The probable candidates of KC(M) include Youth Front (M) district president Saji Manjakadambil and former district panchayat president Nirmala Jimmy.
