Lok Sabha polls: Cong's K C Venugopal seems to be the man to watch out for

In the limelight

In the Congress party, the man to watch seems to be K C Venugopal. The newly appointed general secretary is not contesting the Lok Sabha elections but has a big say in who should get the Congress nomination across the country. One of the reasons behind Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad in Kerala is Venugopal who was elected to the outgoing Lok Sabha from Alappuzha, the nearly 100-km-long constituency, spread across six assembly segments and one in Kollam district, home to a cross section of fishermen in the state and the birthplace of many Left Front politicians. It always helps to have the Congress President elected from your state. Especially on your advice. 

Estranged relations

Poor Tejashwi Yadav has a heavy burden to carry in the absence of Lalu Prasad, his father and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo who is in jail. This includes maintaining relations with brother Tej Pratap who fancies himself as the next Lalu. Amid chatter about an estrangement between the two brothers following squabbling over tickets, recently Tejashwi tweeted pictures of the two brothers cutting a cake on the occasion of Tej Pratap’s birthday. Wishing a very Happy Birthday to my “Krishna” elder brother @TejYadav14 Bhai, one of the sweetest person I’ve ever known.” Wishing abundant happiness, love and life! — Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) April 16, 2019 went the tweet. The tweet and picture comes days after Tej Pratap announced his plans of forming a Lalu-Rabri Morcha, after he was allegedly snubbed by his brother in his choice of seats.