Infighting over RS candidate in Kerala Congress

The issue of groupism in the Kerala Congress is seemingly causing problems in the selection of a candidate for a Rajya Sabha seat.

A section of party leaders was learnt to have petitioned the national leadership against nominating those who were defeated in assembly elections, with the leaders also resisting the move by some AICC leaders to nominate inactive leaders in the state politics.

Three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala are falling vacant, of which the Left-front would get two and they had already announced nominees. The Congress, which is getting the seat being vacated by A K Antony, has hit a stumbling block.

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A suggestion reportedly by the AICC to nominate Indian Information Service officer-turned AICC secretary Shreenivasan Krishnan has not gone down well with the state leaders as Krishnan is not a familiar leader in Kerala.

The state leadership suggested Youth Congress leader M Liju, but faced objection from the supporters of AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, by maintaining that those who were defeated in general elections must not be nominated to Rajya Sabha and instead, should be asked to work in their constituency.

Names of women leader Padmaja Venugopal, who is the daughter of Congress leader and former chief minister K Karunakaran, and former MLA Shanimol Usaman have also come up, while another section is batting for former MLA V T Balram. Many veterans like K V Thomas had also openly expressed their wish to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

Kerala PCC president K Sudhakaran said that eligibility criteria for selecting the party's nominee to the Upper House would be prepared and a final decision would be taken in a day or two.

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