KOCHI: Amid speculation that LDF may hand over the Pala assembly seat to Jose K Mani’s Kerala Congress (M) in the next elections, the NCP leadership meeting held in Kochi on Friday decided not to let go of its four seats including Pala. Mani C Kappen of LDF constituent NCP, who had been contesting from Pala without success in previous elections, won from the constituency in his fourth attempt in last year’s bypoll held after the death of K M Mani. He defeated KC(M) candidate Jose Tom. “Pala belongs to NCP. There have been no discussions within the LDF over the Pala assembly seat yet,” NCP state president T P Peethambaran told reporters after the meeting.
The NCP will stake the claim on its four seats — Elathur, Kuttanad, Kottakkal and Pala — from where it had contested in the 2016 elections, in the next year’s assembly elections too. Of the four seats, NCP has sitting MLAs in three.
In addition to Pala, the sitting MLA of Elathur is Transport Minister A K Saseendran. In Kuttanad too, NCP technically holds the seat though its MLA Thomas Chandy passed away last December. All senior leaders including Kappen and Saseendran took part in the NCP meeting in Kochi on Friday.
NCP state executive member Pradeep Parappuram told TNIE that in the LDF meeting scheduled next week, the party will make its stance clear that there will no compromise on Pala and other three seats. “There is also no question of a split in NCP. Our central leadership led by Sharad Pawar has also given us full support in our stand,” said Parappuram.