Kozhikode: A week ago, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran had claimed the UDF had reached a consensus on candidates for all the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
Notwithstanding Mullappally's claim, the fact remains that the Congress has a clear idea about its candidate only for the Kozhikode seat.
Sitting MP M K Raghavan, who won twice from the seat, faces no strong opposition.
However, even in Mullappally's sitting seat of Vadakara, the party is yet to zero in on a candidate.
The KPCC chief has come on record that he was not interested in contesting for a third time from Vadakara.
He also sites the precedence of KPCC chiefs not contesting in elections.
However, the absence of Mullappally will only weaken the chances of Congress, where his personal connections and community votes could come into play beyond party lines to the aid of Congress.
Mullapally's victory of margin also dipped steeply to 3,306 in 2014 from 56,186 in 2009.
This could also be a factor which he would have considered apart from the switching of alliances by Veerendrakumar's Loktantrik Janata Dal's (LJD) to the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Vadakara is one constituency where the LJD has pockets of influence in Malabar.
However, the LDF is also confused about the candidate in Vadakara, though former MP Sathidevi and her brother and CPM Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan are the frontrunners for the seat.
If a strong candidate is fielded by the CPM, there would be a rethink on the probable candidates being floated now – KSU state president K M Abhijith and KPCC secretary K P Anil Kumar.
In Kozhikode, the candidature of Raghavan is intact, with no possible threats even from within the party.
Kozhikode DCC chief T Siddique has admitted that his name is being considered for one of the prominent seats in Malabar.
Siddique said allies including Kerala Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) have also raised their demand for more seats, during the visit of AICC chief Rahul Gandhi to Kerala.
A third seat for the IUML is highly unlikely.
IUML sources said P K Kunjhalikutty may not want to contest from Malappuram as he is keen to return to the Assembly.
In that case, ET Mohammed Basheer might contest from Malappuram and Ponnani can go to a new comer.
The line of thinking to contest again to the state Assembly is in anticipation of the UDF coming to power in 2021.
The IUML foresees a slump in the LDF votes after the Sabarimala young women entry issue and the consolidation of Muslim votes triggered by the emergence of Rahul Gandhi at the national level.
In a sure seat like Wayanad, lying vacant after the demise of M I Shanavas, the party is yet to decide on the candidate.
His daughter Amina, Kozhikode DCC chief T Siddique and Shanimol Osman are being considered for the seat.
Abhijith voices displeasure
However, there is dissent among the youngsters in Congress against considering Amina and it came to the open with the Facebook post of KSU state president Abhijith on Wednesday. Though he welcomed Amina, wife of senior bureaucrat Muhammed Haneesh, to active politics, Abhijith said the seat should be given to an experienced leader.
In Kannur, only if K Sudhakaran opts for state Assembly, A P Abdullakutty will be considered.
In Kasaragod, where the Bharatiya Janata Party, has a strong base, serious discussions have not taken place on selection of candidates.
KPCC sources said Mullappally would initiate seat sharing discussions once his Kerala Maha Yathra kicks off from Kasaragod on February 3.
Congress Working Committee member A K Antony would flag off the yatra.
