THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In light of candidate selection for the upcoming local body election, the Kerala Congress leadership is set to address nepotism in the process.
The party believes that local leaders' intervention at all levels, from Mandalam to DCC, has resulted in political setbacks. The decision to address nepotism as Congress and UDF candidates lost in the last local body elections, after several defectors contested against the party's chosen candidates.
“We analysed the situation and found out that in those cases, candidates were picked by district leaders against the majority opinion of the ward committees,” a KPCC leader told TNIE.
He stated that close associates or blood relatives of local leaders were often presented as new candidates even after the ward committee officially came to a consensus.
“Hence, the leaders who were pushed away by local leaders contested the election and they became the spoilers for the party. We will not allow that kind of intervention. The KPCC has decided that the decision of the ward committees will be final as far as candidates are concerned. In any case where there are any issues, the DCC leadership will intervene to resolve amicably,” he said.
The benchmark for selecting a candidate is solely fixed on his or her winnability in each particular seat, taking into account the majority community in each area.
In coming the local body election, the KPCC has marked two corporations--Kochi and Thrissur--as ones the Congress-UDF has a chance to win.
Leader of opposition VD Satheeshan is given the charge of Kochi corporation while Roji M John is in charge of Thrissur corporation. K Sudhakaran is in charge of Kannur corporation, the lone corporation where UDF is in power. Ramesh Chennithala (Kozhikode), PC Vishnunath (Thiruvananthapuram), VS Siva Kumar (Kollam) are the other leaders.
This is the first time top leaders have been given charge of the corporations.
Sudhakaran, Satheeshan and Chennithala will also coordinate and monitor the works. “If there is a need to replace a leader, it will be carried out without any delay,” a leader said.
The KPCC will soon organise a state level training for the selected master trainers each from the 140 assembly constituencies at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Development Studies on April 5 and 6.