NCP eyes Pathanamthitta seat, may field Thomas Chandy

KOCHI

: The NCP is planning to contest from

Pathanamthitta

Parliament constituency in the Lok Sabha elections. If NCP leadership’s efforts bear fruit, former minister and party leader Thomas Chandy may be fielded from Pathanamthitta.

“We have demanded the Pathanamthitta seat. Discussions are on,” said NCP state president T P Peethambaran. According to sources with CPM, NCP has suggested swapping Pathanamthitta with another seat in Maharashtra and Chandy may contest if the negotiations succeed. “We would finalize the candidate only after discussions in the LDF for allotting seat for us is over,” Peethambaran said.

Sources close to Chandy, who is now in the US as part of treatment, said that the LDF leadership had given in-principle approval for his candidature. “It was the LDF leadership that asked Chandy to be in the fray from Pathanamthitta. A clear picture in this regard may be evolved after his returning home,” said a source. Chandy had been holding NCP state president’s post after his resignation from the state cabinet. A month ago, he stepped down paving way for T P Peethambaran to assume charge of the state president.

At the same time, a section in the LDF thinks that Chandy’s candidature may cast shadow over all LDF candidates. They feel that Chandy should not be made a candidate as controversies surrounding him, including backwater reclamation, may evolve as a poll plank.

In the last Lok Sabha polls, CPM had supported Congress rebel

Peelipose Thomas

from Pathanamthitta. But, he lost to Anto Antony of Congress, who won with a margin of more than 50,000 votes. M T Ramesh, who was the BJP candidate from the segment, had won 16,493 votes. In the 2009 elections, CPM had fielded party district secretary Ananthagopan from the district.