Jose K Mani files papers as UDF oppn nominee for RS polls

Amid controversy over the Congress decision to forgo its Rajya Sabha seat to KC(M), its candidate Jose K Mani filed his papers as the UDF opposition nominee for the June 21 biennial RS election from the state.

AICC General Secretary and former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Opposition leader in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala and IUML leader M K Muneer accompanied Mani when he filed his papers before Legislature Secretary V K Babu Prakash.

Mani is currently the lone member of Kerala Congress (M) in the Lok Sabha.

The June 7 decision of the Congress to hand over the lone RS seat to KC-M as a condition for its return to the Front after it snapped ties two years ago had triggered strong protests from a section of party leaders in the state.

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurian and former KPCC Chief V M Sudheeran were in the forefront in attacking the decision, which, they alleged, had been taken without taking the party into confidence.

Sudheeran and Kurian had stated that the decision lacked transparency and was taken by Chandy, Chennithala and KPCC Chief M M Hassan without any consultations in the party.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) leader Elamaran Kareem and CPI leader Binoy Viswam filed their papers for the RS polls as the candidates for the ruling CPI(M) led LDF.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, LDF Convener A Vijayaraghan and CPI State Secretary Kannam Rajendran were among those present when they filed the papers.

Three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala will fall vacant on July 1 with the retirement of Kurian, C P Narayanan of CPI-M and Joy Abraham of Kerala Congress.

Of these, the ruling LDF is in a position to win two and the UDF, one.