UDF, All India Forward Bloc hit roadblock over fielding candidate against Pinarayi Vijayan

Congress-led United Democratic Front's (UDF) attempt to pit Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devarajan against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has come to naught with the latter refusing to take the bait, saying such a move will send a "wrong signal" in the united fight against the BJP.

Sources said the UDF leadership in Kerala felt that fielding Devarajan from Dharmadom in northern Kerala, the sitting seat of Vijayan, would send a strong message and it could leverage politically as Forward Bloc is a constituent of the Left Front at the national level.

However, the Forward Bloc Central Committee decided against the proposal, saying fielding its National Secretary against the Left Chief Minister would be detrimental to the larger cause and could impact the polls in Bengal where it is in the Left Front. Other than Devarajan, Forward Bloc is open to field a candidate against Vijayan.

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In Bengal, the Left Front has entered into an electoral understanding with the Congress while both are fighting each other in Kerala.

"There has been a proposal from the UDF that I should contest against the Chief Minister. I had told them that it was not possible at the beginning itself. However as the pressure mounted, the Central Committee conveyed that fielding me in Dharmadom was out of the question as it would send the wrong signal," Devarajan told DH.

Deverajan, who hails from Kerala, was a prominent Left figure and was part of the Left leaders who negotiated with the UPA government on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Sources said Forward Bloc had sought one seat -- either Kollam or Chathannur -- in southern Kerala for Devarajan but the UDF leadership suggested that he contest from Dharmadom. It also felt that fielding its senior leader in a seat, whose results are a fait accompli, would be counter-productive.

The only thing such a candidature would lead to is coverage in national media citing that there is no unity among the anti-BJP forces, sources said.

Forward Bloc, a constituent of Left Front at the national level, had joined the UDF in Kerala in 2016 during the Assembly polls after the CPI(M)-led LDF refused to accommodate it and give a seat to contest. Similar is the case with RSP, which is with Congress in Kerala and the Left Front in Bengal.

"Both the CPI(M) and Forward Bloc are part of a movement that is fighting the BJP at the national level. So the party feels that fielding me against Vijayan would weaken the fight. Also, in other states, both the parties are fighting together in a coalition. So fielding a national office-bearer against Vijayan is not politically correct," Devarajan said.

He said secular parties like Congress, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc should be united in the fight against the "communal" BJP, irrespective of their strength.