Thiruvananthapuram: Both the CPM and the Congress, which head the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), are set to take the winning seats in the elections to three vacant Rajya Sabha seats to be held on March 31.
Though their allies are claiming the vacant seats, CPM is likely to take both the winning seats belonging to the LDF, and Congress the one sure seat for the UDF.
When LJD crossed over to the LDF from the UDF, the then party president M P Veerendrakumar was given the Rajya Sabha seat held by him while he was in the UDF. After his death, the LDF gave the seat to his son MV Shreyamaskumar. But this time, the LJD, which has only one MLA in the Assembly, is not likely to get the Rajya Sabha seat.
The CPM is likely to cite the failure of the merger of the LJD with the JD(S) as the reason for denial of the seat to the LJD. The CPM had prior to the last Assembly polls demanded such a merger. But the LJD is now putting pressure on the front leaders for the RS seat, saying that since others constituent parties were offered ministership, the party should get the RS seat.
CPI has currently Benoy Vishwam as RS member from Kerala and hence, it is not likely to be given a new seat. But it will demand the honouring of the earlier promise that when two winning RS seats become vacant, the party will be considered for one.
The NCP is also staking a claim for a seat for its state president P C Chacko. Though the CPM is considering former ministers for the RS seats, there are chances of youngsters being considered since the party is now focusing on a generation change as was seen in the election of CPM state secretariat and state committee members.
Congress leaders queue up
In the UDF, an array of Congress leaders are vying with each other for grabbing the sure Rajya Sabha seat. Senior leader AK Antony has made it clear that he is not interested in continuing for another term in the Rajya Sabha.
Those in the probability list are former KPCC presidents Mullappally Ramachandran and V M Sudheeran, K V Thomas, Pandalam Sudhakaran and Cheriyan Philip. But if the decision goes in favour of experimenting a younger face, KPCC vice-president VT Balram may be considered.
But there is a common feeling in the UDF that CMP general secretary C P John, who stood with the UDF for the last 36 years without getting any parliamentary posts, should be considered for the Rajya Sabha seat this time. John has already given a letter to the UDF leadership, staking claim for the seat. But since a sizeable number of Congress leaders are in the race for getting the seat, Congress is not likely to part with the sure seat.
