THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Janata Dal (United) state chief MP Veerendrakumar has been officially named the Left candidate for the vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Kerala. The party parliamentary board, which met here on Saturday, took a unanimous decision to field him. Veerendrakumar will contest as the Left independent candidate.
“The party took a unanimous decision to give the seat to Veerendrakumar as he resigned to uphold secular values. He will contest as the Left independent candidate,” JD(U) leader Sheikh P Harris told the media.
The seat fell vacant in December after Veerendrakumar resigned. With the LDF enjoying a comfortable majority in the Assembly, the Left candidate is sure to win.While resigning, Veerendrakumar had made it clear that he does not wish to remain with the JD(U) national leadership. Later, he also severed ties with the UDF.On Friday, the LDF decided to offer the vacant Rajya Sabha seat to the JD(U). However, the LDF put on hold a decision on inducting the former ally back into its fold.
Babu Prasad is UDF nominee
KPCC general secretary and ex-MLA B Babu Prasad will be the UDF nominee for the polls slated for March 23. The formal announcement of his candidature will be made on Sunday by the UDF leadership once the Congress High Command gives its approval. He will file his nomination papers on Monday.
Besides, the simmering rift with the Congress over alleged backstabbing by the latter, allegedly leading to a consistent rout of the JD(U) in Parliament and Assembly polls had propelled the re-migration of the outfit to the LDF after nine years,recently. Repeated wooing by the LDF had also enticed the state JD(U) leadership to desert the UDF .
Babu Prasad,57, is a lawyer and former member of the KSEB. He had represented the Haripad constituency in the Assembly during 2006-11. He had come up from the ranks of KSU and Youth Congress.
KC(M) moves watched
The moves of the Kerala Congress (M), remaining estranged with the UDF, and which front will be favoured by the six MLAs of the outfit in the RS polls will be worth watching, against the backdrop of the Chengannur assembly segment bypoll in the offing. The LDF is capable of ensuring the victory of the candidate backed by it, even without KC(M) support.