PALAKKAD: CPM’s Tharoor Mandalam leaders have expressed their dissent to the party leadership over fielding A K Balan’s wife, Jameela in the Tharoor assembly seat. A section of the party leaders opine that fielding a non-party person like Jameela, surpassing deserving leaders including senior party workers in the scheduled castes welfare board, could backfire in the assembly polls.

In the first phase of talks for fielding candidate in Tharoor, PKS district chief Ponnukuttan, former chief of the district panchayat Advocate Santhakumari were considered for candidature. But finally, on the directions of state leadership, P K Jammeela’s name was presented in the district secretariat.

It was already confirmed that A K Balan who has completed four terms in the assembly will not get candidature this time. However, the party’s decision to filed his wife, who has no prior political experience, was surprising for the party workers and leaders. A section of leaders in the district secretariat also lashed out at this decision taken by the state leadership.

The most important criticism raised by the leaders was fielding a candidate under the party’s symbol, who had no prior political experience. When the decision stirred up a row, minister A K Balan himself ridiculed the controversy as the result of a high-level conspiracy against him. Confirming Jameela’s candidature, sidelining the dissent of the district secretariat, will reveal the difference of opinion among the party leaders in the days to come.