Lok Sabha polls | Congress in Kerala clears major hurdle by promising IUML Rajya Sabha berth in return for third LS seat

The Congress in Kerala has achieved a detente with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) by promising the key United Democratic Front (UDF) ally a Rajya Sabha berth in return for relinquishing the latter’s strident demand for a third Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress in Kerala has achieved a detente with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) by promising the key United Democratic Front (UDF) ally a Rajya Sabha berth in return for relinquishing the latter’s strident demand for a third Lok Sabha seat.

At a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on February 28 (Wednesday), Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan conceded that the IUML was “immensely eligible” for a third Lok Sabha seat.

However, Mr. Satheesan said, the IUML “gracefully renounced” its “immensely justifiable demand” after the Congress raised specific questions about the practicality of such a last-minute arrangement.

Mr. Satheesan claimed that the IUML’s reconciliatory stance had cleared the way for the UDF to finalise its candidates in the 20 Lok Sabha segments in Kerala.

He said the Congress wanted Rahul Gandhi to contest again from the Wayanad constituency. Mr. Satheesan dismissed the ruling Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) contention that Mr. Gandhi’s candidature from Kerala was inexpedient to the INDIA bloc platform.

(Earlier, the LDF had counselled that Mr. Gandhi should take the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main adversary, by the horns on its home turf in Uttar Pradesh instead of denting the secular alliance by skirmishing with a staunch INDIA nloc ally in Kerala.)

Mr. Satheesan pointed out that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] had no qualms about contesting with Congress support in Tamil Nadu. “The CPI(M) candidates in Tamil Nadu had Mr. Gandhi’s picture on their election posters”, he pointed out.