KOTTAYAM: The byelection may not have been declared yet, but the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seems to have decided on its candidate to field in the by-election in Pala constituency, which became vacant with the demise of Kerala Congress (M) leader K M Mani. NCP will reportedly field Mani C Kappen as the LDF candidate.
A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the block committee held in Pala on Friday. The decision has driven a wedge between NCP district and state leadership. While a section in the district came out against the decision, NCP state leadership turned down the block committee’s decision and stated the party has not commenced any discussions regarding byelection. According to Joshy Puthuman, NCP block president, decision was taken in the presence of party state general secretary Salim P Mathew and Agro Industries Corp chairman Sulfikkar Mayoori.