Backward classes given seats with low chances of winning; Congress continues to ignore communities during seat allocation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress leadership, which ignores backward communities including Ezhavas in the selection of candidates for the assembly elections, is accused of giving limited seats with low chances of winning. The Ezhava community was given 14 seats in the 2016 and 2021 elections. It won one seat. The Congress representation of backward communities like Vishwakarma and Dheevara in the assembly is zero.

Many backward Congress leaders from backward constituencies in districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Kozhikode have become MLAs and ministers. There was a period when the backward representation in the assembly was as high as 35. K Karunakaran and AK Antony were unquestioned leaders in the party at that time. The cutting down started with the change in leadership.

Among other Ezhava leaders in the party, Kottayam DCC President Nattakam Suresh, Thrissur DCC President Thankappan, P Chandran, Anil Bose of Alappuzha, and M Rajan of Kozhikode often make it to the primary candidate list in many elections, but they are dropped at the last minute. Only K Babu from Tripunithura saw the assembly after the last election. There are indications that some leaders from other communities are being considered this time, as his chances of contesting have decreased due to ill health.

The situation is no different in Konni, where Adoor Prakash has won consecutively. The CPM gave the Varkala, Kazhakoottam and Vattiyoorkavu seats in Thiruvananthapuram to the Ezhava community in the last election. All three seats were won. The only Ezhava candidate of the Congress in the district who contested from Kazhakoottham lost.

Sarath denied seat twice

When T Sarath Chandra Prasad, a KPCC office bearer for a quarter of a century, was the general secretary in 2003, those who worked in the Youth Congress and KSU later became ministers and MPs. Former Attingal MLA Sarath lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat (then Thiruvananthapuram West) between the cup and the lip twice – in 2001 and 2006.

Sarath had to step aside for M.V. Raghavan in 2001. Although he was given the seat again in 2006, the equations in the Congress changed when K. Karunakaran and his friends formed the DIC. With that, Shobhana George became the candidate in West.

VS Shivakumar won in 2011 and 2016 in the seat that became Thiruvananthapuram Central in 2008. He lost in 2021. Sarath has demanded the Thiruvananthapuram Central seat this time. The names of K Muraleedharan, VS Shivakumar, KS Sabarinathan, and CMP leader CP John are also being floated.