Ekm DCC gen secy to campaign for Jo Joseph

Kochi: With just 11 days to go for the Thrikkakara by-poll, the UDF on Thursday suffered a jolt with District Congress Committee (DCC) general secretary and three-term councillor in Kochi corporation M B Muraleedharan deciding to join the poll campaign for the LDF candidate.
At a press conference held at the LDF election committee office at Palarivattom, Muraleedharan said he was fed up with the UDF leadership’s undemocratic attitude and that he would join the election campaigns of the LDF candidate.
“I had raised some issues regarding the selection of the candidate in the party. The attitude of the UDF leadership doesn’t suit a democratic organisation,” Muraleedharan said.
“I met the chief minister and spoke with him. I expressed my wish to work for the development (of the state). He welcomed the decision. Today, the LDF candidate (Jo Joseph) visited me at home and requested my support. So, I have decided to work for his victory,” Muraleedharan said.
He said the UDF leadership didn’t hold talks with leaders in the constituency before deciding to pick Uma Thomas as its candidate. “While considering candidates for such positions (MLA), there are many leaders who have suffered a lot for the party over the years. Had the party decided to help P T Thomas’ family, it could have done so in some other way. Even the recently-concluded Chinthan Sibar adopted a strong stand against giving such posts to relatives,” he said.
“I had maintained a good relationship with P T Thomas. It was in my ancestral home that P T and Uma stayed immediately after their wedding. I had worked for his previous election campaigns,” Muraleedharan said.
He said there is discontent in the Congress over the attitude of opposition leader V D Satheesan.