Kottayam: Poonjar legislator P C George is one of a kind, at least in Kerala, in terms of political opportunism and abrasive conduct. His recent bid to gain a spot in the United Democratic Front for his Janapaksham outfit has failed, months after parting ways with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. He has pointed fingers at former chief minister Oommen Chandy for thwarting his bid.
George claimed many leaders including opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala had backed his entry into the UDF. “But Chandy opposed the move. There was some opposition at the local level also. There were also attempts to oppose me using the Muslim League. The UDF will have to pay a heavy price for this misadventure," George said.
George claimed that Chennithala had told the UDF meeting that if the Poonjar MLA came over to its side then the alliance would be able to win all the assembly seats in Kottayam district.
His son Shone George registered a win on his own from the Poonjar district panchayat division in the recently held local body polls. With Shone's victory, Congress was open to seeking George's support in the assembly election.
Congress stand
The Congress has reportedly taken a stand that the UDF would support George only if he contested as an independent candidate from Poonjar in the upcoming election as he did last time. However, George took the stand that he would back the UDF only if he is made a constituent of the Congress-led front.
Even the Congress unit in Poonjar is opposed to George. This likely proved decisive in the UDF closing the door on George.
The local Congress leadership and the Muslim League had opined that George's anti-minority remarks two years ago and his decision to be part of the NDA in Kerala for a brief period, could result in a setback to the Congress.
But George won't mind
In the 2016 polls, P C George had won on his own from Poonjar. He is reportedly planning to fight alone in Poonjar in the coming elections too, though there is a remote possibility of George being taken in the Left Democratic Front which has a weak base in the Poonjar constituency.