Activists of the Congress in Kerala seemed to keep their eyes peeled for signs from New Delhi about the composition of the party's list of candidates for the Assembly elections.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran indicated that the AICC would declare the contestants on Friday. The protracted discussions in the national capital prompted television channels to explore different permutations of likely contestants.
Few suggested that former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy would contest from Nemom. The Congress required a standard-bearer to offer battle to the CPI(M) and the BJP in the high profile constituency. Mr. Chandy refused to comment.
However, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the Congress would field a strong candidate in Nemom. “Let it be a surprise,” he said. The leaders are currently in New Delhi.
Some quarters floated the possibility of K. Muraleedharan, MP, contesting from Nemom or Vattiyurkavu. A KPCC insider said Mr. Chandy and Mr. Chennithala were unlikely to abandon their home grounds in Puthuppally and Haripad respectively. Mr. Muraleedharan would require a waiver from the AICC to contest the Assembly elections.
He said many veterans might not make the cut. The AICC's accent was on youth, women and influencers from marginal sections of society. The party would field candidates in at least 92 seats. Between 45% to 60% could be fresh faces, he said.
The KPCC was at the fag end of a selection process that had commenced in February. It had vetted suggestions put forward by the district committees, MLAs and MPs. The ‘A’ and ‘I’ factions had also suggested names separately and in conjunction.
The AICC had attempted to relegate factional affiliation to a tertiary role in candidate selection. It had hired pollsters to survey the prospects of candidates put forward by the KPCC.
The high command would examine the list presented by the AICC screening committee in the light of the survey findings before taking a final call. The candidates’ list is also likely to be a litmus test of whether group equations impacted the selection process significantly.
