THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The UDF meeting scheduled for Wednesday was postponed as the day’s Legislative Assembly session has been prolonged. Though official-level bilateral talks with the IUML were not held on Wednesday, it has been confirmed that the Congress leadership had unofficially confirmed to them that they would have to be content with the existing two Lok Sabha seats.
In the last UDF meeting held on February 5, UDF convener M M Hassan had informed that ahead of the next sitting on Wednesday, they would hold a meeting with the IUML leadership.
But that did not happen as expected where the UDF leadership blamed the ongoing budget session of the Legislative Assembly.
A senior UDF leader told TNIE that there were unofficial discussions with the IUML on and off during the course of the assembly session.
“The IUML leadership has been aware from day one that it is not going to get a third Lok Sabha seat. They just want to convince their party workers that they are putting pressure on the Congress leadership for an extra seat apart from the existing Malappuram and Ponnani Lok Sabha seats,” said a senior UDF leader.
Already, the UDF leadership has provided one seat each to the RSP and Kerala Congress (Joseph) faction.
Apart from the IUML’s two seats, the Congress will be contesting in 16 Lok Sabha seats. The new date of the next UDF meeting will be decided later by the leadership.