Chengannur bypoll; sr BJP leaders try to reach out to K M Mani

Senior BJP leaders in Kerala today sought to reach out to Kerala Congress(M) supremo K M Mani ahead of his party's crucial meeting to decide on its stand in the coming assembly bypoll in Chengannur.

The leaders,BJP national executive member P K Krishnadas, visited Mani's home town Pala and held a one and a half hour long meeting with the KC(M) chairman during which they discussed political developments in the state, particularly in the context of crucial by-election.

"We want support of all sections", Krishnadas told reporters after the meeting.

KC(M) leaders said the steering committee of the party, which will meet here tomorrow, will decide on the stand to be taken by the party for the bypolls.

The KC(M) has adopted an equi-distance stand from all fronts in Kerala after it severed its three decade old tie up with the Congress-led UDF in 2016.

The bye-election,necessitated due to the demise of CPI(M) leader K K Ramachandran Nair, is crucial for the BJP,which had finished a close third in the 2016 polls with the support of the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS).

Miffed over the denial of a Rajya Sabha ticket to its leader Thushar Vellapally in recent elections from BJP-ruled states, BDJS, a key partner of the BJP-led NDA in Kerala, has said it would not co-operate with the saffron party for the bypoll in Chengannur unless 'issues' are resolved.

It has alleged that BJP has not fulfilled the promises it made to NDA partners on appointments in boards and corporations.

"Under the present circumstances, it is difficult for the party to cooperate with NDA in the coming polls," Thushar has said.

Though the election notification for the Chengannur bypoll has not been issued, the ruling CPI-M led LDF, the UDF opposition spearheaded by the Congress and BJP have announced their candidates for the seat.

Former BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai is the NDA candidate.

CPI(M) Alappuzha district seretary Saji Cherian is the candidate of the LDF and Congress leader D Vijayakumar the UDF candidate.