'Ultimate gain for BJP'; Congress reconsidering decision to field Suresh in Malampuzha?

PALAKKAD: The constituency review meeting is considering fielding a Congress candidate in the Malampuzha constituency under the open-palmed Hand symbol. Earlier, there were talks about fielding former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan's personal assistant, A. Suresh, in Malampuzha, but the review meeting saw many contrarian opinions emerge.

DCC office bearers, constituency presidents and block Congress office bearers from Malampuzha, along with AICC Secretary P.V. Mohanan, attended the meeting. Many assessed that fielding Suresh would end in vote leakage from Congress, while some others said the belief of CPM cadres voting en masse for Suresh was nothing but a pipedream.

There is also talk that fielding Suresh would only end up making BJP stronger in the constituency. In the 2016 and 2021 elections, UDF ended up third here, while BJP finished in second place. The office bearers have also informed the AICC of the unimpressive work carried out by UDF in the constituency.

UDF calculated it would be wise enough to field Suresh, considering how the constituency favoured veteran leader VS Achuthanandan. The Palakkad DCC had made it clear that it had no objection to fielding Suresh. Meanwhile, Suresh had participated in the Congress's public programs and the 'Puthuyuga Yatra' led by Opposition Leader VD Satheesan.