Murali's defeat: Riot intensifies within Congress in Thrissur

THRISSUR: A riot has erupted within the Congress in Thrissur following the defeat of K Muraleedharan in the Lok Sabha election. Various regional leaders and party workers are demanding the resignation of Election Committee Chairman and KPCC Working President TN Prathapan and DCC President Jose Vallur.

Ismail Araikkal, a native of Edamuttam in Nattika, staged a sit-in protest in front of the DCC office for several hours, demanding the resignation of Prathapan and Jose for sacrificing Muraleedharan in Thrissur. Criticism was also raised against leaders such as UDF district chairman MP Vincent and DCC vice president IP Paul. Posters demanding the resignation of TN Prathapan and Jose Vallur appeared in different areas of the city.

Youth Congress state leaders also came forward against both of them. The UDF got about one lakh votes less when compared to the previous Lok Sabha elections. K Muraleedharan lost to Suresh Gopi by nearly 75,000 votes. Following his defeat, Muraleedharan had openly said that there was no coordination in the election work. The Congress has plans of fielding Muraleedharan in Wayanad if Rahul Gandhi vacates the constituency, sources said.

TN Prathapan has not yet responded regarding the defeat of Muraleedharan. Jose Vallur is claiming that the CPM-BJP deal is the reason behind BJP's advancement in Thrissur.