Antony not to contest Lok Sabha polls: Congress

Defence Minister A.K. Antony will not contest the Lok Sabha polls from Kerala, a senior Congress leader said Sunday.

Addressing reporters here, Congress' Kerala unit president V.M. Sudheeran said Antony, a Rajya Sabha member, had called him up after media reports about his likely candidature from Kerala and asked him to issue a denial.

"He has asked me to inform the media that he is not going to contest the polls," said Sudheeran after a meeting of the party's election committee which sat for the first time to prepare the list of candidates.

The Congress party normally contests 17 seats out of the 20 seats in the state.

"We will be meeting again on Tuesday and today's (Sunday) meeting did not discuss any names. We have asked our district committee' to come out with their opinion on candidates," said Sudheeran.

He also said they will soon have their first round of talks with the Revolutionary Socialist Party, which has left the Left Democratic Front Saturday after being denied the Kollam Lok Sabha seat.

"There are not going to be any preconditions for the talks," said Sudheeran.

He also made it clear that at no cost would the party tolerate any sort of indiscipline by its party workers and leaders.