The Hindu : Congress list likely today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Congress list likely today

NEW DELHI, MARCH 30. Seeking to avoid another round of factional feud ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, and the KPCC acting president, P.P. Thankachan, today met the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and sought to impress upon her the need to stick to the candidate list short-listed by the rival factions in the State.

``The high command will announce the candidates list for Kerala tomorrow,'' Mr. Thankachan told reporters after the two senior leaders met Ms. Gandhi here this evening.

Both the leaders replied in the negative when asked whether there was any shift in their stance on the candidates agreed upon by Mr. Antony and the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran.

``I don't think there is any change of circumstance to warrant such a shift in opinion,'' Mr. Antony said with Mr. Thankachan backing him saying that it would be ``improper'' to do so. When pointed out that many candidates had already started campaigning in the State, Mr. Thankachan said ``they are doing it at their own risk.''

Asked what had transpired at the meeting, which was also attended by AICC president's political secretary and in-charge of the party affairs in Kerala, Ahmed Patel, and the AICC general secretary, Oscar Fernandes, Mr. Thankachan said the high command sought certain clarifications from them on some candidates.

``We discussed all the 12 seats where candidates were yet to be finalised. We told them whatever we had to say. It is up to the high command to take the final decision,'' Mr. Antony said.

Party sources said the high command had taken note of the complaints about the selection of candidates by the KPCC election committee with regard to the Mukundapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode seats. - PTI/UNI

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