The opposition of a section of Congress workers in the Irikkur constituency against the candidature of Rural Development Minister K.C. Joseph has taken a new turn with the resignation of Congress Irikkur mandalam president K.R. Abdul Khader from the post, announcing that he would contest as an Independent from the constituency.
Mr. Khader said he had resigned from the party position in protest against the party leadership’s decision to field Mr. Joseph in the constituency. He said it was Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s adamant stand that once again foisted Mr. Joseph as Congress candidate upon the people of the constituency.
When contacted, Mr. Khader said the candidature of Mr. Joseph, who had been representing the constituency for the past 35 years, amounted to testing the patience of the electorate. He said he would seek election in the constituency as an Independent candidate. Mr. Khader’s resignation as well as his decision to contest as an Independent exposes the dissidence of a section of the Congress in the constituency against Mr. Joseph seeking re-election. Last month, some Congress workers had staged a protest by blocking the Irikkur-Blathur Road, demanding that they wanted a change of candidate in the constituency. The Minister had then said that the protest amounted to blackmail motivated by some persons aspiring for candidature in the constituency.
Irikkur is a stronghold of the Congress in the district. In response to the protest, a group of Congress functionaries in the constituency had come out with a signed statement calling for Mr. Joseph’s candidature, stating that the constituency had witnessed unprecedented developmental activities over the years.
When contacted, district Congress president K. Surendran said Mr. Khader had already been replaced as mandalam president by local leader Ramachandran Master. He said Mr. Khader had been removed from the post on disciplinary grounds. He added that Mr. Khader did not have the backing of Congress workers in the constituency.
