Kochi (IANS): The powerful Latin Catholic Church in Kerala has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi urging the party to consider Hybi Eden, chief of the Congress' student wing, as party candidate for the Ernakulam Lok Sabha seat.

The letter was written by the Varapuzha Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil, who is also President of the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Council, the body that looks after the social and other activities of the church.

The church has given three other names. The list does not contain the names of sitting Ernakulam Congress legislator and former minister K.V. Thomas or former Congress legislator and former minister Dominic Presentation.

Mr. Eden, who was recently appointed chief of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), and the two other Congress leaders belong to the Latin Church.

He is the son of former Congress MP from Kochi, late George Eden. When the process began for selecting Congress candidates, Mr. Eden's was the only name put up for Kochi.

Mr. Thomas, who is said to be close to Sonia Gandhi, is believed to have made an attempt to become the candidate after it was announced that Sindhu Joy, a student leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), would be that party's candidate.

Former Congress Chief Minister K. Karunakaran has said that Eden is the best choice.

Mr. Karunakaran has been displeased with Mr. Thomas after the latter quit his camp in 2003 when Mr. Karunakaran decided to split the Congress party in Kerala.