Will former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy contest the upcoming assembly polls from a constituency other than his home turf Puthuppally is a question the veteran Congress leader does not even want to think of. He has termed the reports that a section within the Congress wants him to contest from Thiruvananthapuram district, preferably Nemom constituency, baseless.
Chandy's reaction to Manorama Online came after TV channels reported about his possible shift to a legislative assembly constituency within Kerala's capital city. The rumours were further fuelled with KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran's response that Chandy can win from any seat in Kerala.
Reports suggested that a section of Congress leaders was of the opinion that Chandy should contest from Nemom, the only seat represented by the BJP in the Kerala assembly, or Vattiyoorkavu, another BJP stronghold. The leaders' argument, according to the reports, was that Chandy's candidature would help the party not only wrest the seat but also would increase the Congress's chances in south Kerala in a big way.
Fielding a candidate of Chandy's stature in a BJP stronghold will send out a message that the Congress is ready to take on the saffron party head on, the reports said.
Chandy's son Chandy Oommen may contest from Puthuppally if the former shifts his base, the unconfirmed reports said.
"All these are baseless news. I have not even thought of shifting from Puthuppally. My life is immersed in Puthuppally," Chandy told Manorama Online. He said candidates will be decided only by the KPCC and the party high command.
Chandy has been representing Puthuppally in Kottayam district for the past 50 years since 1970. The upcoming polls, if he contests, will be his 12th consecutive election.
Reports baseless, but good: Congress insiders
Two KPCC office-bearers Onmanorama spoke to said that there were not even informal talks among the party leaders about Chandy shifting to Thiruvananthapuram. However, they suggested that such news reports are a blessing in disguise.
"It sends out a message that Congress is serious about Nemom and other seats in Thiruvananthapuram," a leader said.
The second leader said such reports have created unease within the Left fold as it suggests that the Congress and the UDF are so serious about winning this election that they would consider aggressive moves.
BJP's O Rajagopal had won the 2016 assembly polls from Nemom defeating CPM's V Sivankutty by 8,671 votes. The UDF candidate, JD(U)'s V Surendran Pillai went to a distant third with just 13,860 votes.
