Setting to rest speculations regarding his candidature from the Kottayam Lok Sabha seat, Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)] chairman Jose K. Mani has clarified that he will not be contesting in the upcoming Parliament elections.
Mr. Mani told the media here on Sunday that the party had entrusted him with a larger responsibility. “My focus right now is on fulfilling the task I have been assigned as the party chairman and nothing else,’’ he said.
Likely candidate
Official sources said the KC(M), a key constituent of the Left Democratic Front, intended to field sitting MP Thomas Chazhikadan from the seat. Although another senior KC(M) leader was also reported to have expressed interest in the seat, Mr. Chazhikadan appears to hold an upper hand in the present scenario.
The Kottayam Lok Sabha seat is likely to witness a direct fight between the Kerala Congress and the KC(M) as the former, a member of the United Democratic Front, stays firm on its demand for the seat. Setting the tone for the political battle, the two parties have already escalated their efforts to woo back the agrarian electorate of central Travancore.
The Kerala Congress counts on wresting Kottayam from its arch rival the KC(M) by fielding a formidable candidate. Right from party chairman P.J. Joseph and party working chairman P.C. Thomas to senior leader Francis George, several names have been doing the rounds within the party as its prospective candidate in Kottayam. While Mr. Joseph, who is yet to win an election to the Lok Sabha, had expressed his willingness to contest from the seat on the previous occasion, Mr. Thomas had contested from the segment as a National Democratic Alliance candidate.
