THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As campaign for upcoming bypoll in Vattiyoorkavu gathers steam, resentment in a section of Congress over the ‘slow pace’ of campaigning and absence of senior leaders from the election scene has inadvertently exposed fissures in the party.
Much to the Congress’ embarrassment, its candidate K Mohankumar’s grouse over the absence of K Muraleedharan from the campaign scene evoked a sharp reaction from the former KPCC president. Muraleedharan, who stay put in his Lok Sabha constituency Vadakara, retorted that when he contested in Vattiyoorkavu in the 2016 assembly poll, there was no one to help him either.
“The campaign committee and I managed the entire electioneering. Even then, the victory margin was 7,600 votes,” Muraleedharan said. The senior Congress leader said no election work would be stalled due to the absence of any leader. “As an MP, I have work to be completed in my constituency,” Muraleedharan said, defending his absence from Vattiyoorkavu. However, Muraleedharan assured that as soon as his work in Vadakara is over, he will join the election convention in Vattiyoorkavu constituency, which he represented for the last eight years.
The rift
According to Congress insiders, the relation between Muraleedharan and Mohankumar has not been quite cosy, though both the leaders are part of the ‘I’ faction of the party. It is to be remembered that from 2001-2006, Mohankumar represented Thiruvananthapuram North - the constituency from which Vattiyoorkavu was carved out.
Mohankumar’s victory in 2001 had hit the headlines as he stalled the dream run of three-time MLA M Vijayakumar of the CPM from Thiruvananthapuram North. In 2006, Vijayakumar took revenge by wresting back the seat. However, in the first assembly election held after Vattiyoorkavu came into existence, Muraleedharan was chosen over Mohankumar, much to the latter’s displeasure. During the candidate selection in Vattiyoorkavu this time, Muraleedharan had backed K Karunakaran loyalist Peethambara Kurup. This was seen by many as a strategy to counter Mohankumar’s claim. However, Mohankumar finally managed to clinch the seat in the wake of opposition of local Congress workers over an “outsider” being foisted as candidate yet again.
Tharoor’s absence
The absence of Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor from the campaign in Vattiyoorkavu was another talking point which Mohankumar himself is learnt to have taken up with the KPCC leadership. However, Tharoor played down the concerns through a Facebook post on Friday. “Amused to hear my absence from Thiruvananthapuram during the by-election campaign so far has become an issue,” he wrote.