THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: PC George has intensified efforts to join the UDF camp as elections are around the corner. He told Keralakaumudi online that before the commencement of local body polls he is trying to fetch a pre-poll understanding with UDF.

His first move is to contest in block and district panchayats with a pre-poll understanding with UDF. Induction to UDF might happen before the assembly polls. P C George who has unleashed heavy criticism against LDF has reduced trading barbs with UDF and in the past few days, he has not made any remark against Congress.

His party Janapksham which is staying in the NDA camp for the last one year has always taken an independent stand on different issues. George’s induction to UDF might get easier now as his fiercest critic in UDF, the Jose faction of Kerala Congress is out of the front now. In Congress, George enjoys the support of ‘I’ group leaders whereas ‘A’ will oppose him, therefore his induction will only happen after pacifying ‘A’ group leaders.

‘A’ group leaders fear that George could become ‘a headache’ in the future. Whereas ‘I’ group leaders hold the view that in the aftermath of Jose’s exit from UDF, George who has considerable influence in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta should join the front.

George’s attempt to join UDF comes after massive flocking of his partymen to other factions of Kerala Congress expecting seats in the next elections. Even his close aide, Sebastian Vilayani joined Congress on Friday. Mose of the leaders in Janapaksham thinks that without the support of LDF or UDF, contesting alone in the coming polls would be a wrong decision. George intensified efforts to join UDF after realising this.

Even though George has demanded two seats—Kanjirapally for himself and Poonjar for his son, to the ‘I’ group leaders of Congress, other leaders of the party has asked leadership to give only one seat for PC George. Poonjar committee of Congress has even passed a resolution against PC George’s induction to UDF. But he believes that his closeness to the state Congress leaders would make induction to the front much easier.