Ex-Kerala Mahila Congress chief Lathika Subhash to join NCP

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Mahila Congress chief Lathika Subhash, who had tonsured her head in protest and quit the Congress after being denied ticket to contest the recent Assembly polls in Kerala, is all set to join the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The 56-year old Subhash said she held discussions in this regard with NCP state chief P C Chacko and an official announcement would be made soon.

Interestingly, Chacko, a senior Congress leader and working committee member of the grand old party, himself had joined the NCP earlier this month.

Chacko had resigned from the Congress on March 10, alleging group interest in deciding party candidates for the recent Assembly elections in Kerala.

Subahsh said NCP is a national party which comes from the Congress tradition and she has had a close relationship with Chacko since a young age.

"I have held talks with Chacko. My stand will be announced without any delay. As I come from Congress tradition and had long association with that party, I cannot align with any other political outfit," she told reporters.

Sources closed to her said she expects a deserving position in the party matching with her decades-long experience.

Subhash had contested as an independent candidate from her home constituency Ettumanoor in the April 6 Assembly polls and garnered over 7,600 votes which also contributed to the drubbing of the Congress candidate there.

Soon after resigning from the primary membership of the Congress, the leader said she would not join any other political party.

Subhash had got her head tonsured sitting in front of the Congress headquarters here in March soon after the state leadership had announced the candidates list for the April 6 polls to mark her protest following denial of ticket, shocking her party.