Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala is likely to contest the upcoming Assembly elections.
According to sources close to the KPCC president, the Congress High Command has given him the clearance to fight the elections. Sources said Mr. Chennithala was evaluating his electoral chances from Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram, Haripad and Chengannur in Alappuzha. It is not unusual for PCC chiefs to contest any election, but this needs to be cleared by the party high command.
Mr. Chennithala met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Tuesday and is presumed to have discussed his entry in the electoral fray. However, Mr. Chennithala, later, clarified that the issue did not figure in his discussions with the party president. He had met her to give her an update about the seat sharing discussions with the UDF partners, he told The Hindu shortly before boarding the flight back home. He maintained that it was for the party high command to decide on his candidature and his individual preference hardly mattered.
Senior leaders have been putting considerable pressure on Mr. Chennithala to contest the Assembly elections. According to them, his presence in the electoral fray will ensure a communal balance at a time when the UDF is moving on a strong minority platform. Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy, when asked about Mr. Chennithala's plan to fight the elections, said there was considerable pressure from party activists on the KPCC president, but the final decision rested with Mr. Chennithala and the party high command.
When asked about the impact of his presence in the fray, Mr. Chandy said it would help the party and the coalition in projecting a strong team.
There are several issues that need to be worked out before Mr. Chennithala's candidature is formally announced. The KPCC election committee is expected to discuss the move at its meeting on Saturday, but sources said this was just a formality. His choice of constituency would be crucial as it could upset the calculations of several other aspirants and also the customary balancing of communal equations.
Even though all leaders, including Mr. Chandy and Mr. Chennithala maintain that traditionally the Congress party does not project a Chief Minister candidate, the party seniors will have to come out with some amount of clarity on this if Mr. Chennithala is fielded. As of now, it is clear that the election campaign would be led by Mr. Chandy and it is presumed that he would continue to head the legislature party, which qualifies him to be Chief Minister if the UDF combination comes to power.
Mr. Chandy's Kerala Mochana Yatra last month was an exercise that sent a clear message to the party activists that he would lead the election campaign.
There is also another view in the party that Mr. Chennithala's presence would trigger off factional tugs, which was the spotlight during the organisational elections in the Kerala Students Union, the Youth Congress and the KPCC when the former ‘A' and ‘I' factions re-grouped to get a hold on the organisational set up. However, party sources maintain the electoral fight will acquire a new dimension in case the high command does finally decide to field him.
