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Thursday, Mar 05, 2009
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LDF to wrap up seat-sharing

C. Gouridasan Nair

Talks with JD(S)
on Kozhikode
seat today
CPI unhappy with LDF stand on Ponnani

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Reservations of some of the coalition partners notwithstanding, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) State committee is likely to finalise the formula for sharing of seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at its meeting here on Thursday.

The alliance had arrived at a decision on sharing 18 of the 20 seats at its meeting on Tuesday. What remains to be decided is who should contest Kozhikode, the CPI(M) or the Janata Dal (Secular). A decision on the seat was deferred to Thursday to give the JD(S) time to decide whether it was willing to exchange Kozhikode for Wayanad.

The JD(S) has given less than subtle hints to the effect that it would rather withdraw from the fray than take Wayanad. The CPI is also unhappy with the impression that the Ponnani seat has been taken from it and put in the common pool for fielding an independent acceptable to various Muslim groups opposed to the Muslim League.

Both party State secretary Veliyam Bhargavan and assistant secretary K.E. Ismail have come out strongly against LDF convener Vaikom Viswan over the issue though Mr. Viswan had made it clear at the post-LDF briefing that he was only reporting what was decided by the LDF panel.

The RSP, which had put itself in a tight corner with the threat to withdraw its nominee in the LDF Cabinet if it was not given the Kollam seat, would have to tell the LDF whether it proposes to carry out the threat now that the CPI(M) had firmly rejected its demand. The CPI(M) considers Kollam a closed chapter.

The party is unhappy that the RSP leadership has issued such a public threat and communicated its displeasure in no uncertain terms to the RSP leaders. It does not expect the RSP to go ahead with its threat.

Given reports that the CPI leadership has identified a potential candidate for Malappuram, who would also be acceptable to the powerful AP faction of Sunnis and the Abdul Nasir Maudany-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the CPI(M) and CPI might well decide on the sidelines of Thursday’s meeting to avoid a public spat over the status of the Ponnani seat.

However, it remains to be seen if the CPI(M) would relent to pressure from the JD(S). The as yet unconfirmed reports that the JD(S) may well decide to pull out its nominee from the Cabinet in the event of the CPI(M) not yielding to its demand have only compounded matters.

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