Congress begins candidate screening in Kerala; Ex-IAS officer among probables

Thiruvananthapuram: As the Congress in Kerala formally kicked off the candidate selection process for the coming assembly polls on Tuesday, the general opinion was to retain all the sitting MLAs and to avoid sitting MPs contesting the assembly polls.

At present the Congress is having 22 MLAs of which 20 are likely to be in the fray again.

Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who is  caught up in sexual assault cases,  will be not be allowed seat. Ex-IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan is learnt to be considered as replacement.

Congress MLA K Babu, who represents Tripunithura in Kochi, is unlikely to contest again. Former MP K Muraleedharan is likely to enter the fray in any of the sure seats of the party.

Congress sources said that the initial talks would be over the reserved seats as well as sure seats where candidate selection could be carried out without much discussion.

The Congress is likely  to exchange some seats with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which is the second largest coalition partner. Though the IUML was planning to seek more seats, in view of the campaign unleashed by the CPM, BJP and other vested interest groups that the Congress was succumbing to the interests of Muslim outfits, the IUML was learnt to have decided  not to seek more seats now. Instead they will seek exchange of a couple of seats with high chances of winning.

In the 2021 Kerala election IUML won 15 of the 25 seats contested.

Sources said that Congress is likely to take the Guruvayur seat in Thrissur, where the IUML candidate got defeated last time.

Palakkad being a seat where the BJP is having good chances, the Congress is having a tough task to find a suitable replacement for Mamkootathil. Apart from Kannan Gopinath, ex-BJP leader Sandeep Warrier was also learnt to be considered.

Even as there were suggestions to field Congress MP Shafi Parambil, who was a former Palakkad MLA, the AICC leadership will have to take a call on relaxation to MPs. 

"Giving relaxation to one MP could lead to resentment as many sitting MPs are keen to contest in Kerala assembly polls as the chance of Congress coming to power is quite high," a Congress insider said.

The initial rounds of candidate screening will go on for two to three days and subsequently seat sharing talks will be initiated. AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi is attending the meetings. 

Rapport with NSS

Meanwhile, the Congress as well as other parties in the United Democratic Front (UDF) are trying to enhance rapport with the Nair Service Society (NSS) as the leadership of the forum representing the Hindu Nair community decided to keep off from unity moves with Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP). 

Congress and IUML leaders are hailing the 'secular' stand of NSS leadership, while flaying the communal statements of SNDP general secretary Vellappally Natesan.

The Hindu Nair community, which is the second largest Hindu community, was earlier considered as pro-Congress. But over the last few elections there has been considerable  pro-BJP shift in Nair votes.