THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the UDF’s Nemom candidate K Muraleedharan made clear his disappointment with the eleventh-hour cancellation of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s roadshow in the constituency, the Congress star campaigner has decided to return to Kerala for a whirlwind three-hour roadshow on Saturday. The Gandhi scion had decided to skip the poll convention in Nemom on Tuesday because of a delay in the schedule, a move that left Muraleedharan — who was already irked by the party cadre’s lackadaisical approach to his campaign — less than pleased.
He was also peeved at Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala for apparently directing the party’s energies to the adjacent constituency of Thiruvananthapuram, where sitting MLA V S Sivakumar is in the fray, said a leader close to Muraleedharan.
After the roadshow was cancelled, he took up the issue with Congress national general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, who immediately took steps to control the damage. Following Venugopal’s intervention, a number of central, state and local Congress committee leaders arrived at Muraleedharan’s house to placate him.
Rahul may campaign in Nemom
Priyanka, who was also informed of the MP’s concerns by then, invited a beleaguered Muraleedharan to her hotel and promised to make a pit stop in the state while returning from Sriperumbudur on Saturday.
She will campaign in Nemom, Vattiyoorkavu and Kazhakoottam constituencies.
“The party state leadership is also trying to bring Rahul Gandhi to Nemom after he wraps up his campaign in Malabar on Saturday. Though the electioneering in Nemom was initially smooth, it gradually started to become lax,” a top Congress leader told TNIE This has not gone down well with Muraleedharan. The central leadership has taken up the issue now,” the leader said.