Will Vijayan face his arch-rival in his pocket borough?

Will Vijayan face his arch-rival in his pocket borough?

Will Vijayan face his arch-rival in his pocket borough?

Who from the Congress will contest against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in his pocket borough of Dharmadam in Kannur? That is the question facing the state Congress leadership. According to multiple reports, the state unit of the party wants Kannur strongman K. Sudhakaran to contest from Dharmadam, but the district unit is keen on K. Raghunathan, a Sudhakaran loyalist. Amid ongoing meetings, Sudhakaran on Thursday noon said he will announce his decision in an hour's time. 

If Sudhakaran takes on Pinarayi, both arch-rivals, the Dharmadom contest could become exciting. Otherwise, the results are a foregone conclusion as the CPI(M) leader had won from this CPI(M) bastion by over 50 per cent vote margin last time. With such radical moves the Congress wants to convey to the voters that it would challenge both the BJP and the left vehemently.

On Wednesday, a dozen local functionaries of the party and the United Democratic Front in Dharmadom had requested Sudhakaran to become the candidate against Pinarayi. They had called on him last week also to convey the wish so that Pinarayi has a worthy opponent. While conceding that supporters have been raising such a demand, Sudhakaran, who is also a working president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), had said that he cannot give in to everyone's wishes. But he reportedly conveyed to the colleagues that their demand would be considered if the high command asks him to contest.

-Inputs from Onmanorama

TAGS