Dispute between Congress and Kerala Congress (Joseph); UDF seat-sharing talks hit roadblock

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Seat-sharing negotiations in the UDF have stalled following differences with the Kerala Congress (Joseph). The dispute arose after the Congress expressed interest in contesting some of the seats the Kerala Congress had contested in the previous election. Kerala Congress is scheduled to hold a meeting today.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has instructed the state leadership not to unilaterally take over or exchange seats of constituent parties without mutual consent. However, there may be minor adjustments regarding Kerala Congress (Joseph)’s allocation. The party has requested the same 10 seats it contested in the last election, of which it won only two.

Some leaders within the Congress feel that the Joseph group’s seat share should be reduced. The Congress is eyeing the Ettumanoor, Idukki, and Kuttanad seats. Since it was Minister Roshy Augustine who blocked the Kerala Congress (Mani) from rejoining the UDF, the party is planning to field a strong candidate against him in Idukki to intensify the contest. Kuttanad, long contested by Kerala Congress, is another key seat in the negotiations.

Representing Kerala Congress (Joseph) in the talks are P.J. Joseph and Mons Joseph. For the Congress, AICC General Secretary Deepa Das Munshi, KPCC President Sunny Joseph, Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan, and Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala participated. Further discussions will be held based on today’s meeting outcomes. Talks are also expected with Kerala Congress (Jacob) and CMP.

Yesterday, preliminary discussions were held regarding Congress’s current seats at the KPCC headquarters. Leaders K. Sivenugopal, V.D. Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, and Sunny Joseph were present. Congress will finalise its candidates only after completing the seat-sharing arrangement among the UDF constituent parties.