Fronts to intensify election preparations; Congress currently a step ahead

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The political fronts have intensified their preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections. The Congress is currently a step ahead. Seat-sharing discussions with allied parties have almost been finalised. Talks on candidate selection are expected to begin next week.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) will also move to candidate discussions after its regional marches conclude on the 16th. There are no major disputes within the LDF regarding seat-sharing or candidate selection. For the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the main issue remains seat-sharing with BDJS. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the party will release its first list of candidates this month and the second list next month.

KPCC leadership meeting
A leadership meeting of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) will be held on Monday at 2 pm at Indira Bhavan. The first meeting of the Congress election campaign committee will take place at 12 noon on the same day. Preparations for the elections will be discussed. Seat-sharing with allied parties is expected to be completed by then.

The Congress candidate list is likely to be ready next week. After approval from the central election committee, the candidates may be announced as soon as possible. Except for the sitting MLAs from Palakkad and Thrippunithura, most sitting MLAs are likely to contest again. K. Babu has reportedly shown no interest in contesting.

If KPCC president Sunny Joseph decides to contest, he may step down from his party post. Names such as Benny Behanan, Kodikunnil Suresh, and K C Joseph are being discussed as possible replacements. Among the three working presidents, P C Vishnunath and A P Anilkumar are currently MLAs, while Shafi Parambil is an MP.

LDF to speed up after marches
Within the LDF, no major disputes are expected over seat-sharing among alliance partners. However, the internal differences in Kerala Congress (M) between Jose K. Mani and Roshy Augustine are being closely watched. Roshy is seen as closer to the CPM leadership than Jose. If the differences deepen, it may affect seat allocation.

The LDF’s central region march concludes in Ernakulam today. The southern region march will end in Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow, and the northern region march will conclude in Thalassery on the 16th. Candidate discussions are expected to begin immediately after that.

NDA plans two-phase candidate list
After the BJP, the main ally in the NDA is BDJS. The party contested 33 seats in 2016 and 27 seats in the last election. This time, it is likely to demand 40 seats. Regardless of how talks proceed, the BJP will release its first list of candidates this month. The first list of BDJS candidates is expected to be announced on February 21.

Congress campaign committee meeting on Monday
The first meeting of the Congress election campaign committee will be held on Monday at 12 noon at Indira Bhavan, the KPCC headquarters. The meeting will be chaired by Ramesh Chennithala. Senior leaders, including AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K. C. Venugopal, AICC General Secretary in charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunsi, and KPCC president Sunny Joseph, will attend, according to convener Shafi Parambil MP.