KOCHI: After much dilly dallying and hand wringing Mani C Kappan, who ended the 54 year old reign of the KM Mani family and conquered the UDF fortress of Pala in September 2019, has announced his decision to leave the Left front.
Kappan announced that he and his followers will join the UDF as an alliance partner. He claimed that 7 district presidents and 9 of the party office bearers are with him.
Mani C Kappan, who arrived at Kochi airport from Delhi on Saturday said he was hopeful that the national leadership will support his decision. Kappan said he will attend the reception of Aiswarya Kerala Yatra led by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala in Pala on Sunday.
Meanwhile, transport minister AK Saseendran who leads the NCP faction that wants to remain in the LDF said Kappan should resign his MLA post before joining the UDF. "His decision to join the UDF is an injustice to the people who voted for him. There is no political situation in Kerala for the NCP to leave the LDF."
He said Kappan could have waited for the decision of the party national leadership. Saseendran also alleged that the hasty decision reveals that he had entered into a pact with the UDF.
Meanwhile, the NCP national leadership seems to be favouring the LDF. Party state president TP Peethambaran who is in New Delhi, said the decision of Mani C Kappan to join the UDF does not have the backing of party national president Sharad Pawar. The national leadership is expected to announce its decision on Saturday evening. Kappan has also indicated that he will not resign as MLA even if the party decision is against him.
"I am confident that the national leadership will favour me. The people of Pala are with me," he said.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said UDF will give Pala seat to Mani C Kappan even if he comes alone. He said it was Kappan's personal influence among the voters that helped the LDF win Pala. The LDF has cheated the NCP and Mani C Kappan by insisting that a candidate who won the seat should relinquish it for the party which lost the election. The decision is not just," he said.
Responding to Kappan’s decision LDF convenor A Vijayaraghavan said it was the decision of a person and will not have political significance. NCP is more important than Kappan, he said. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said the decision of Mani C Kappan is not politically correct.