The talks between the Congress and the IUML leaders on swapping Balussery with Kunnamangalam, two Assembly constituencies in Kozhikode district, failed to yield any positive results.
At the same time, the IUML leadership, which met in Malappuram on Sunday, announced the candidature of two-time legislator and Dalit leader U.C. Raman in the reserved segment of Balussery. The IUML leaders say they would agree to exchange its Kunnamnagalam seat only if the party gets a replacement for Eravipuram, now being contested by the Congress.
The Congress party has proposed the names of DCC president K.C. Abu, KPCC general secretary N. Subramanian and former KPCC general secretary T. Siddique for Kunnamangalam. State Congress leaders, who left for New Delhi on Monday, will apprise the party high command of the IUML’s demands.
IUML State leaders have demanded the Karunagappally seat in lieu of the Eravipuram segment in Kollam district. However, the Congress leadership has refused to surrender Karunagappally. Also, Youth Congress leader C.R. Mahesh has already started campaigning in this constituency hoping that the party would offer him the ticket.
In a related development, the Congress has offered the Chadayamangalam seat to the IUML. Another proposal is to give Shoranur. But IUML leaders are unhappy with both these proposals.
A senior Congress leader said that the party had no spare seat anywhere in the State to be offered to the IUML. They had expected to swap Nadapuram with Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode district. But the IUML has announced the candidature of its district treasurer Abdulla Parammal for the constituency.
A glimmer of hope so far is that the IUML has not announced a candidate in Kunnamangalam. But if the party decides to contest the seat, then the Congress would have to be satisfied with four seats out of the 13 in Kozhikode district. This also means that the IUML would get an edge over the Congress in Kozhikode like in Malappuram district.
The Congress, which has had no representative in the Assembly from the district for the last 10 years, had incidentally failed to get the pro-UDF Thiruvambady seat in spite of the support from the Thamarassery Diocese-backed Malayora Vikasana Samiti.
IUML to field U.C. Raman in Balussery
Congress offers Chadayamangalam to IUML
