Kozhikode: The local Congress leaders in Elathur Assembly constituency, where the LDF candidate is Minister A K Saseendran, have announced their own nominee for the upcoming election in protest against the decision of the state leadership to allot the seat to Mani C Kappen’s party.
A meeting of the Congress leaders in Elathur constituency held at Chelannur decided to field Dinesh Mani, a member of the KPCC working committee and a former president of Chelannur Block Panchayat, in the seat. He would submit his nomination on Thursday, said the local leaders.
The rebel meeting, presided over by DCC general secretary T K Rajendran, was attended by ‘mandalam’ presidents of the Congress and district-level leaders of the party’s various feeder organisations.
The UDF had given the Elathur seat to Kappen’s NCK and the party had selected Sulfikkar Mayoori, an industrialist based in Alappuzha, as its candidate. Sulfikkar has already reached Elathur for his campaign.
Local Congress activists were optimistic about a UDF victory this time as there were widespread complaints against Saseendran, who is the sitting MLA. However, the allotment of the seat to Kappen’s party was a let-down for them and a protest march was taken out in the area. The march had a good participation from all sections, including women. During the march, some local Congress leaders had sought a party candidate within two days and warned that they would announce their own choice in case the demand was not met.
Meanwhile, the local leaders had also conveyed their demand to AICC secretary P V Mohanan, who had reached the constituency. Earlier, several top Congress leaders, including M K Raghavan MP, had opposed the handing over of the Elathur seat to Kappan’s party.
