THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At least half-a-dozen Congress leaders in Ernakulam district have already started eyeing at the Thrikkakara assembly seat which fell vacant following the demise of PT Thomas.
With leaders including Dominic Presentation, Tony Chammany, Deepthi Mary Varghese and Jaison Joseph staking claim for the seat, the state leadership is searching for a consensus formula.
Fielding Uma Thomas, wife of the departed leader, is one of the options, but the fact that PT had always taken a stand against dynasty politics may prompt them for a rethink. The Central Election Commission is expected to announce the date of Thrikkakara bypoll along with the Punjab assembly elections.
The Congress can’t afford to lose Thrikkakara as it has been its stronghold since its formation in 2011.
The constituency has a sizeable population of Christians which saw the voters favouring Benny Behanan who is a Jacobite in 2011 followed by PT who is a Roman Catholic in the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan exuded confidence in defending the Thrikkakara seat, but the party is yet to think seriously about the candidate at this juncture. “Since it is my home district, I definitely have got a say on the candidature. But several factors have to be thought of before finalising the candidate. We have not spoken with Uma regarding this,” Satheesan told TNIE.
The CPM-led LDF would make a better try this time as winning one more seat will make their tally 100 in the assembly. It will finalise its candidate depending on who the UDF will field. “It will be easy for Congress if there is a sympathy wave. But with the Christian community turning against the party, it is crucial to field an appropriate candidate,” said a senior Congress leader.