THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan has been dithering over trying to retain his Vadakara Lok Sabha seat in next year’s general election. While he has passed the buck on his candidature to the party leadership, the Congress high command has only exempted state party chief K Sudhakaran from trying to hold on to his Kannur seat.
Over the last six months, 66-year-old Muraleedharan has come out with confusing statements on retaining the seat. Every time the media has sought clarification, he maintained the ball is in the court of the high command. This has apparently not gone down well with other leaders and the party leadership. A senior leader told TNIE that Muraleedharan is upset with the high command for not accommodating him in the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
“Over the last several years, Muraleedharan has endeared himself by being blunt and even critical of his own party. The fact that he is K Karunakaran’s son only furthers his standing. He is currently serving as the election committee chairman for Telangana,” said a senior Congress leader who did not wish to be named.
Congress state general secretary Mariapuram Sreekumar said Muraleedharan is indeed in a “dilemma” due to political instability in the country. But the Muraleedharan loyalist, who worked with him in the run up to the 2019 election in Vadakara, added that it was his acceptance among minority voters that saw him defeat CPM stalwart P Jayarajan.
“My reading is that Muraleedharan is keen to prove his mettle as a leader who has acceptance among minority voters. He is the only senior leader who can win from any LS constituency, be it Wayanad, Kannur, Kozhikode or even Thiruvananthapuram,” Sreekumar told TNIE.
Muraleedharan keeps shuttling between Vadakara and his former assembly constituency of Vattiyoorkavu. Whenever he is in the state capital, he ensures that he attends local party programmes, marriages and funerals. However, Muraleedharan said he was keen to switch to state politics, but not any longer.
“I contested the Vadakara LS seat under special circumstances when I was serving as Vattiyoorkavu MLA. The party wanted to field a senior leader against the formidable Jayarajan. But now the high command wants the senior incumbent MPs, with the exception of Sudhakaran, to their seats. As of now, I don’t see any reason to shift from Vadakara,” Muraleedharan told TNIE.