P Sarin might not contest in Palakkad this time, CPM plans to give him sitting seat

PALAKKAD: The CPM is considering allotting a safe, favourable seat to P Sarin, who recently joined the party after quitting the Congress, in the upcoming Assembly elections. According to sources, the party’s state leadership has decided against fielding Sarin again in Palakkad, where he was defeated in the by-election. Discussions are currently underway to nominate Sarin from either Ottapalam or Shoranur.

There are also indications that the party leadership has asked him to begin organisational work in the Ottapalam constituency. However, Sarin has maintained that he will not comment on the reports until the party makes an official announcement. The CPM believes that Sarin has considerable influence in Ottapalam, where he contested as a Congress candidate in the 2021 Assembly elections. If Sarin is fielded from Ottapalam, sitting MLA K Premkumar would have to step aside. The party is expected to take a final decision only after holding discussions with him, with local party opinions also likely to play a key role.

Meanwhile, if Sarin expresses interest in contesting again from Palakkad, the CPM will take into account the Congress’s candidate announcement before making a decision. The party may also be reluctant to field Sarin in Palakkad, as the Congress did not suffer major setbacks in the recent local body elections, despite the case against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil.