Hibi, Unnithan surprise Congress picks, deadlock continues on 4 Kerala seats

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram/Kottayam: The Congress has finalised candidates for 12 seats in Kerala. Candidates for four seats –Wayanad, Alappuzha, Attingal and Vadakara – will be decided on Sunday, senior party leaders Mullappally Ramachandran and Ramesh Chennithala told media here on Saturday night after a meeting of the party's central election committee.

The candidates' list signed by AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala Mukul Wasnik was released just 10 minutes before midnight.

Surprises

Hibi Eden, MLA, will be fielded in Ernakulam constituency. This would mean that senior Congress leader and Ernakulam MP KV Thomas would be the lone sitting MP to be dropped in Kerala.

Though Mullappally Ramachandran and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal are MPs, they have opted out of the fray due to organisational responsibilities.

Another surprise choice is Rajmohan Unnithan from Kasaragod, a CPM stronghold. At no point of the talks Unnithan had emerged as a probable contender.“We need more discussions on the remaining seats. A final call on these seats will be taken by party president Rahul Gandhi,” Chennithala said. He added that there were no disputes over the seats.

The choice of candidates in Wayanad, Alappuzha, Attingal and Vadakara had lacked clarity from the beginning itself.

The deadlock over the Wayanad seat is mainly due to group equations. The 'I' group which held the seat wanted to retain it while the Ooommen Chandy-led 'A' faction pushed for T Siddique. Shanimol Usman was 'I' group's initial choice, but the argument was that even if she is denied the seat, it should go to the 'I' group itself. That is how campaign committee chief K Muraleedharan MLA's name is now being propped up.

In such a scenario, Siddique may be drafted for Vadakara, a seat now represented by Mullappally. Shanimol could then be a probable candidate in Alappuzha or Attingal, where Adoor Prakash is the other candidate. Adoor Prakash is also being considered for Alappuzha, considering some caste equations.

KV Thomas 'shocked'

Thomas said he was shocked to learn about the decision to drop him. “I should have been told about it in advance,” a visibly upset Thomas told media reporters publicly hinting that injustice had been meted out to him by the party leadership.

He said he will continue to be active in politics. “At this moment I'm shocked,” he said in reply to a question on his future plans. “I do not represent any group,” he said, hinting that group equations could have prevailed in the decision.

K V Thomas has been reportedly summoned by Sonia Gandhi, in an apparent effort to pacify him.

The AICC has taken note of his public expression of displeasure over the denial of candidature.

Some statements about Narendra Modi being an “able manager who could carry on the show despite the failure of demonetistaion and GST” have also created a flutter in the Congress.

The Congress is contesting on 16 out of the 20 seats in Kerala leaving four for allies – IUML2 , KC (M) and RSP one each.