Politics

Tussle over Rajya Sabha seat divides Congress in Kerala

The elections to three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala are to be held on March 31

March 17, 2022

Rift amongst Kerala Congress leaders reaches Delhi

On Thursday the state president, K Sudhakaran of the Kerala Congress met the party president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the party’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat.

The tussle between the Congress party has come to the fore as few Congress workers in Kerala are pushing the name of M Liju and other party central leaders want Krishnan Sreenivasan.

The claimants are many including outgoing state party president and former Union Minister Mullapally Ramachandran and K V Thomas, who was deeply upset when he was not given his sitting Ernakulam Lok Sabha seat in 2019. Thomas has met Sonia Gandhi but sources say he has not got a positive reply from her.

After the meeting, Sudhakaran said, “I have met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and held a discussion on the nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat. Both want to promote youngsters.”

The elections to three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala are to be held on March 31. Those who are retiring include 81-year-old Congress veteran A K Antony, K Somaprasad (CPI-M), and M V Shreyams Kumar, who leads the Loktantrik Janata Dal, an ally of the Left Front in Kerala.

With the ruling Pinarayi Vijayan government enjoying a full majority in the 140-member Assembly, it’s a foregone conclusion that the Left Democratic Front will win two and the Congress-led opposition one.

Antony has already informed the two-time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, State Congress president K Sudhakaran and other senior leaders that he is not interested in another term.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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