Newly elected Palakkad MLA says more people will join Congress

Palakkad (Kerala): Newly elected Congress MLA from Palakkad constituency, Rahul Mamkootathil on Wednesday asserted that leaders and workers from the BJP and other political parties would embrace the ideology of the grand old party in the coming days in this district.

Mamkootathil, who secured a significant victory by pushing the BJP-led NDA and the CPI(M)-headed LDF candidates to second and third positions respectively in the recent by-election, said the voting pattern in the Palakkad segment was an indicator of the "political mood swing" of the people in the area.

Pointing to the voting pattern in the by-poll here, he said it was an indicator of the "political mood swing" of the people in the constituency.

"Here there are chances for people from various walks of life to flock to the Congress. And it was evident in this election also. It was visible in the voting pattern too," he told a press conference here.

Noting that people in the strongholds of various political parties in the segment have changed their mentality, he said it is an indicator that they are ready for a "political mood swing".

Mamkootathil also claimed that the flow of people to the Congress "does not confine to the BJP alone." Asked about the impact of dissident BJP leader Sandeep Varier joining the Congress just ahead of the by-election, the MLA-designate said that he did not want to attribute it solely to the number of votes he received in the election.

"I don't intend to limit the advantage of Sandeep Varier's joining of Congress to a few votes. He came as part of a huge fight against communal politics.

It's not about the increase in vote share, but we need to change the political ideology of the people too," the Congress leader said.

Mamkootathil also described Varier as a major indicator of this ideological shift in the fight against communalism.

To a query about Congress leaders switching parties, he said it is a prominent political party and ideology in this country.

Numerous parties have been formed out of the Congress ideology, he said citing examples of Trinamul Congress in West Bengal and the NCP in Maharashtra.

Since the Congress is a huge political movement, it is quite natural that it suffers major losses too, he said.

But the circumstances in Palakkad is different, he explained.

Mamkootathil also made it clear that his party did not hold any open discussions with the disgruntled BJP councillors of the Palakkad municipality.

He, however, said that anyone who embraces the Congress ideology would be welcomed to the grand old party.

The MLA designate's statements came amidst reports that the Congress is trying to woo dissident leaders of the saffron party to its fold amidst the rift in Kerala BJP following the party's loss in the Palakkad Assembly by-poll.

However, BJP leaders rejected the reports of discontentment among BJP councillors in the district.

Mamkootathil won with 58,389 votes (42.27 per cent). CPI(M)-backed P Sarin garnered 37,293 votes (27 per cent).