THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s emerged that the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and RMP leader K K Rema had a major role to play in the Congress zeroing in on K Muraleedharan as UDF Vadakara candidate.
Sources said IUML state president Hyder Ali Shihab Thangal had insisted that a leader of the stature of either Mullappally Ramachandran, V M Sudheeran or Muraleedharan should contest from the seat to defeat CPM heavyweight P Jayarajan.
Congress insiders told Express that Rema too wanted a senior leader to contest the seat. She, according to a party leader privy to the discussion, said that if Jayarajan wins the seat it will be a major political setback for the RMP and its workers.
Sources also said Mullappally was the first choice of both Rema and IUML as he had wrested the seat from the Left front in 2009.
When Mullappally opted out of the race citing his inability being the KPCC president, the focus was shifted to Sudheeran and Muraleedharan. It’s learnt Mullappally had asked Sudheeran, but he declined. Then the party zeroed in on Muraleedharan, who was reluctant to contest initially. But Mullappally and Congress general secretary Oomen Chandy, who was in Thiruvananthapuram, persuaded Muraleedharan to enter the fray.
Mullappally spoke to Ramesh Chennithala, A K Antony and K C Venugopal before finalising Muraleedharan’s candidature.