THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jose K Mani in an interview to Keralakumudi online has said that there are no issues regarding Pala assembly seat. There will be no such issues until the Kerala Congress doesn’t officially declare its official stand. Discussions have only relevance when the party declares its opinion. The intimacy between Kerala Congress and Pala seat is very deep. “Even after declaring the party’s official stand, issues come up, then I will clarify my opinion and final decision on induction to LDF will not be extended beyond Friday,” he said.

Jose K Mani aims to garner at least 12 seats from LDF. Most important among them is Pala. If they lose Pala, Jose and his accomplices think that Kerala Congress will lose its soul. PJ Joseph faction also holds the view that they will get some electoral benefits if Jose K Mani loses the Pala seat. CPM is also aware of this fact, therefore sources in CPM say that they are willing to give at least six seats to Jose faction. Kappan also knows this reality and that is the reason why he is clinging on the Pala seat. Kappan is engaged in a one-man fight without knowing who will support him, even though UDF is eagerly observing his political moves.

CPM was planning to pacify Kappan by giving a Rajya Sabha seat to NCP, other leaders of the party like A. K. Saseendran and T P Peethambaran has no opposition to that proposal but Kappan still clinging on to the earlier stand that ‘Pala is his heart.’ UDF is also looking at the problems that are likely to emerge over Pala seat distribution in LDF and they may induct Kappan if he leaves LDF. Keralakaumudi online was the first to report this political development.

The news reported on September 16

UDF, in order to overcome the fatigue created by Jose faction’s exit, is looking towards LDF for new members. UDF with the active involvement of certain Congress leaders is planning to transfer an important party in LDF to their fold. Sources say that top Congress leaders have talked with leaders of NCP in this regard. Meanwhile, leaders of both parties haven’t given any official response.

A section of Congress leaders thinks that bringing NCP to the UDF fold would strengthen the foundation of UDF. NCP, which is currently with Congress-led UPA at the central level has also taken the same stand in all states except in Kerala, where it currently stands in CPM-led LDF. In Maharashtra, Uddhav Thankarey-led Shiv Sena government is supported by both NCP and Congress.

All the prominent faces of NCP were former leaders of Congress. But the party, for a long time has been staying in the LDF camp. In 2011, during the assembly polls, K Muraleedharan made an attempt to take NCP to the UDF fold but it didn't succeed due to lack of consensus among other leaders of NCP. At last, Muraleedharan left NCP to join Congress.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports say that state Congress leaders are also planning moves to bring NCP with the help of the newly appointed AICC general secretary Tariq Ahamed. Tariq Ahammed is one of the founder leaders of NCP. He worked in NCP for 19 years and in 2018 following a difference of opinion with party president Sharad Pawar, he defected to Congress. Certain leaders in KPCC thinks that Ahammed’s ties with NCP leaders in Kerala and Delhi would be helpful for NCP’s exit from LDF.

Meanwhile, the NCP candidate in Kuttanad, Thomas K Thomas has told Kerala Kaumudi online that they don’t value Tariq Anwar and he cannot influence state leaders of NCP.

He said that the party has decided to stand with Pinarayi government and party evaluates that LDF will continue to rule Kerala for the coming five years.

Some Congress leaders think that the presence of a faction of NCP would benefit UDF in the assembly polls. At the same time, another group in Congress strongly oppose inducting NCP to UDF fold. They hold that bringing NCP to UDF won’t produce any result and more Congress candidates should be fielded against NCP. As of now, NCP has 2 MLAs.