Notwithstanding a temporary freeze on the ‘two leaves’ symbol imposed by the Election Commission of India, the fight within the Kerala Congress (M) over Kuttanad is now entering a crucial phase with both factions kick starting their pre-election works in the Assembly constituency.
While the group led by Jose K. Mani has already constituted a committee to finalise the list of probable candidates, the rival camp has begun works by organising a farmers’ protest at Mankombu the other day.
The Mani faction maintains that the seat was given to it in 2011 following deliberations within the UDF when the Congress wanted to contest from Punalur. The Joseph group, on the other hand, holds that the seat belonged to it since the Assembly election of 1980.
Interestingly, both groups assert the support of the Congress, the leading partner in the UDF, in their respective claims over the seat.
A two-day leadership meeting of the Jose faction, which concluded at Charalkunnu the other day, decided to move ahead with campaign activities in connection with the Kuttanad byelection.
The meeting constituted a five-member sub-committee to take a decision on the byelection, including finding a suitable candidate. The committee headed by Thomas Chazhikadan, MP, will have senior leaders Joseph M. Puthusseri, V.C. Francis, V.T. Joseph and Jacob Thomas Arikupuram as its members.
Mr. Joseph, on the other hand, appears determined not to give up this time and has taken off with a protest meet of farmers, which sought to raise the minimum support price for paddy. The event, attended by senior KC(M) leaders, including Mons Joseph, MLA, and Joy Abraham, also drew participation of District Congress Committee president M. Liju.
“We have been holding the seat ever since the formation of the Joseph group in 1979 and it was the KC(M) founder K.M. Mani, who issued a whip for me to contest in the Assembly election of 2016,” said Joseph Abraham, a front runner of the seat from the Joseph group.
Meanwhile, a demand by the Kerala Congress (Jacob) to field Johnny Nellore as a consensus candidate has given more headaches to the Congress, which is striving hard to bring in consensus among the warring KC(M) factions.
The observers pointed out that a win for the KC(M) candidate under the ‘two leaves’ symbol would change the parliamentary position of the warring factions. “Both camps will not like themselves to be in such a situation and hence the fight this time is going to be as intense as in Pala. In such a situation, it is highly likely for the Congress to intervene and settle the issue by taking over the seat as a temporary measure,’’ they said.
