The Congress is likely to retain the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha constituency seat within the Secular Progressive Alliance whenever the bypoll is held, following the death of its MP H. Vasanthakumar. He had resigned from his post as MLA of the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2019 to fight the Lok Sabha polls from Kanniyakumari.
When Vasanthakumar vacated his Nanguneri Assembly seat, from where he was elected twice, the Congress lost the seat to the AIADMK in the bypoll in 2019.
Sources in the Congress and the DMK told The Hindu that the Kanniyakumari seat was allotted to the Congress as per an electoral arrangement. “There was an understanding that the seat would go to the Congress [in 2019]. This is their seat. That will continue,” a source in the DMK said.
Early days
Pointing out that it was very early days to discuss the topic as it has only been three days since Vasanthakumar’s death, Mr. Alagiri too said the seat will be retained by the Congress within the alliance. “It is our seat. The party [Congress] is strong there. We have three MLAs there. We will hold talks and decide on a common candidate. But it’s too early to talk about it,” he said.
Another senior leader in the Congress too added there would be no change in the arrangement. “We don’t know when the bypoll will be held. The Election Commission might look at holding it during the Bihar polls or might wait it out till the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu to conduct it together,” the leader said.
When asked if the Congress would be able to take on the BJP’s Pon. Radhakrishnan if he was fielded again by the BJP, the leader said Mr. Radhakrishnan was a strong leader in the region but the Congress would win the seat again.
