No rift in Congress, all candidates to be announced today: Satheesan

Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition Leader VD Satheesan said that the Indian National Congress will announce all candidates for the upcoming assembly elections on Thursday itself. He also claimed that the UDF will finalise all 140 of its candidates on the same day.

Addressing the media, he said the Congress had finalised 95 candidates within two days of the poll announcement.

"There is no delay in announcing the candidates. Neither the CPM nor the CPI has released a complete list of candidates. Though there are allegations of disputes over seat sharing, the UDF has named candidates without any rift. Team UDF always stands united," Satheesan said.

He also alleged that internal tussles over candidate selection jolted the CPM. He added that the party is facing a crisis as senior leaders have come forward to challenge its leadership. He further alleged that favouritism and corruption have ruled the CPM over the past 10 years.

"The CPM will face a trial in this assembly election," he said.

At the same time, Satheesan said there was no rift between him and senior Congress leader K Sudhakaran, who is reportedly unhappy over seat-sharing issues.

Sources close to the party indicated that AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge will decide on seven seats. It is learnt that the party denied ticket to K Sudhakaran and Eldose Kunnappillil in Kannur and Perumbadoor seats respectively. Sudhakaran is likely to address the media at 12 pm to declare his stance on the party's decision. 

On Tuesday, the Congress named 55 candidates, including 19 sitting MLAs, for the upcoming Assembly polls. The Election Commission of India has announced that the elections will be held on April 9 and the results will be declared on May 4. UDF allies Kerala Congress, IUML have named candidates on Tuesday.