NCP in Kerala upset with LDF over seat sharing, UDF invites Mani C Kappen

Mani C Kappen
Mani C Kappen

Thiruvananthapuram: In a clear indication that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is not happy within the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, it has made its discontent over seat sharing in civic polls public.

NCP legislator Mani C Kappen on Thursday said his party would express its displeasure to the LDF.

The Congress-led UDF was quick to seize upon the situation and invite NCP to join the front.

Kappen said his party, which had contested from more than 400 seats in the 2015 local body polls was given only 165 seats in the present polls.

The three-phase civic polls come to a close on Monday and on Wednesday the votes would be counted.

"We are breaking our silence now. In the Pala constituency our party had led in nine panchayats and one municipality ward last time, but we were given just two seats this time. Till now we did not express our disappointment, but now we have decided to express our displeasure at the appropriate place," Kappen said.

NCP in Kerala over the years has been an ally of the Left and presently it has two legislators, including a state minister.

Incidentally, Kappen won the Pala assembly seat last year in a by-election, following the death of veteran K M Mani who was the legislator from Pala since its inception in 1967 and had not lost a single assembly election.

Kappen who lost to Mani in 2011 and 2016, however won the seat last year, even when Mani's party - Kerala Congress (Mani) – failed to capitalise on the sympathy factor.

Things for NCP, and Kappen in particular, changed for the worse, ever since Mani's son Jose K. Mani who now leads the KC(M) became an ally of the LDF, while the other faction led by senior legislator P J Joseph continues in the UDF.

After that, NCP has been feeling the heat as Kappen feels that his sitting seat might be given to Jose K Mani. The first signs that Jose K Mani is a force to reckon with came when the NCP was given just two seats in the civic polls at Pala.

Hours after Kappen expressed his ire, UDF convenor M M Hassan extended an olive branch and said if Kappen is able to sink in with the UDF ideology, he is most welcome to join them.

(With inputs from IANS)

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