Kerala: Shashi Tharoor to prepare Congress's manifesto for Assembly polls

Candidate selection for the Assembly polls in the state would be based only on the competency of the candidates as well as winnability factors

Pulling up socks for the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala, the Congress on Saturday entrusted Shashi Tharoor to prepare the party's manifesto through mass contacts and managed to persuade senior leader K V Thomas to revoke his plans to leave the party.

The first meeting of the recently formed Election Management and Strategy Committee (EMSC), as well as the meetings by AICC observers led by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with Congress leaders in Kerala, was also learnt to have sent a strong message against groupism in the party.

Candidate selection will be based only on the competency of the candidates as well as winnability factors. The party leaders were also learnt to be warned against making open statements regarding candidatures.

The EMSC led by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was quite known for his mass connect, has entrusted Tharoor, who is a member of the committee, to prepare an election manifesto for the party after meeting various sections of the society across the state. He would be holding meetings at various parts of the state and understand the expectations of the people from the next government.

Meanwhile, in another trouble-shooting measure, Congress senior leader and former minister K V Thomas was persuaded by the party leadership to make him revoke his plans to leave the Congress camps.

After meeting the AICC observers Thomas said that he had some concerns and the leadership assured to address the concerns. He also added that he did not seek any seat in the election and denied the reports that he sought a seat for his daughter.

Earlier there were reports that Thomas, who was unhappy after being denied a seat in the last Lok Sabha polls and key posts in the party, may join left-front and some CPM local leaders had also welcomed him. Thomas also announced that he would clarify his stand by Saturday. But by Friday the party high command directed him to meet the AICC observers.

Gehlot embarrasses Congress in Kerala

Addressing a meeting with Kerala PCC office-bearers on Saturday, Gehlot alleged that the Centre was misusing the central agencies and the central agencies were dancing to the tune of the political leadership.

The CPM cadres were highlighting Gehlot's statement as the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala also used to allege that the BJP government at the centre was misusing central agencies for initiating probes into certain flagship projects of the state government. But the Congress leader in Kerala did not subscribe to the CPM stand.

Former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro and former Karnataka deputy chief minister G Parameshwara were the other AICC observers for Kerala.