THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The continuing uncertainty over the candidate selection process has begun to weigh heavily on seat aspirants in the state Congress, with anxiety mounting over their chances of securing party tickets for the forthcoming assembly elections.
With the announcement of candidates yet to be finalised in all constituencies, hopefuls and their supporters have started intense lobbying at both the state and national levels. The delay has led to growing unease within the party ranks, particularly among those who have been actively preparing for months in anticipation of an early declaration, in line with the party leadership’s claims.
Party sources said consultations are under way, with the leadership attempting to strike a balance between winnability, social representation and factional considerations.
Considering the growing unease among party leaders, Congress steering committee chairperson Madhusudan Mistry has convened an interaction meeting of working committee members and MPs from Kerala in Delhi on March 3.
The meeting has been called to seek opinion of the CWC leaders and MPs on candidates in the assembly segments that fall under their Lok Sabha constituencies. Meanwhile, the Congress leadership has stated that the allotment of tickets will be taken up once the ‘Puthuyuga Yatra’ led by the Leader of Opposition ends on March 7.
“The Congress’ bilateral seat-sharing discussions with its front partners have not been completed owing to Satheesan’s busy yatra schedule and the rigid stance of certain allied parties,” said a senior Congress leader. In some cases, local Congress leadership has opposed the allotment of particular seats to certain UDF parties. “This has also brought the discussions to a halt,” he added.
Meanwhile, grassroots workers expressed concern that the prolonged uncertainty could hamper early campaign mobilisation. Though the leadership has indicated that it would first release the names of sitting MLAs, this too has encountered roadblocks. Party sources said, after the proposed March 3 interaction, the steering committee may forward the list of sitting MLAs to the Central Election Committee. They added that a few seats where consensus has been reached may also be included in the list.
Meanwhile, several seat aspirants have been flying to Delhi while continuing to canvass in the state. “Many leaders are boarding flights after making prior enquiries about when the key decision making leaders will be in Delhi,” said a Congress leader. Besides, key state leaders have begun preparing their own lists of candidates for consideration in the final list.