Kerala - Kottayam   

Dissent in Kerala Congress (Joseph)

Staff Reporter

KOTTAYAM: With the announcement of the list of Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidates for the district, the coalition is facing a minor turmoil in one of its constituents, Kerala Congress (Joseph).

The LDF is facing the election with six new faces in the list.

The list of candidates for Kottayam district released by the CPI(M) is as follows: Puthuppally: Sindhu Joy; Kottayam: V.N. Vasavan; Changanassery: A.V. Russal and Ettumanur: K.S. Krishnankutty Nair.

The other candidates in the LDF contingent include: P.C. George (Poonjar-KC-Secular); Mons Joseph (Kaduthuruthy-KC-Joseph); Mani C. Kappan (Pala-NCP) and Kanam Rajendran (Vazhoor) and K. Ajith (Vaikom), both from the CPI. Alphons Kannanthanam will contest as an LDF independent from Kanjirappally assembly segment.

The list of candidates has, however, created a minor rebellion among a section of the Kerala Congress (Joseph) as those who joined the party following the merger of the Indian Federal Democratic Party with KC (Joseph) have found themselves left in the lurch. They have upped the ante in Kanjirappally segment, which according to them, should have been given to them.

The last Parliament elections had proved it beyond doubt that they have a dominant presence in the constituency, according to leaders. They also point out that during the merger, they were made to believe that they would be given the seat in the Assembly elections.

The KC (Joseph) followers belonging to the former IFDP contingent have already convened a series of meetings and the more militant segments among them are forcing their prospective candidate Georgekutty Augusthy, the party's district president, who is said to have the blessings of the dominant Catholic church, to go it alone, if need be. The senior leadership of the party is still under the hope that it would be able to find a way out with the help of 11 seats left undecided by the LDF for the time being.

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