Dr P Sarin
Credit: Facebook/@Dr P Sarin
Thiruvananthapuram: Bypoll to Kerala's Palakkad Assembly seat, where the BJP is pinning high hopes on winning, is promising fierce competition as the CPI(M) announced dissident Congress digital media convenor Dr P Sarin as its candidate.
While the CPI(M) hopes to cash in on Sarin's recent allegation of Congress-BJP deal in the constituency, the grand old party camps have launched a counter campaign that Sarin shifted to the CPI(M) from the Congress overnight owing to his political greed. The Congress camps are also planning to highlight the critical remarks of Sarin against CPI(M) leaders till recently to embarrass him.
Sarin, who quit the Congress on Thursday after he was denied the Palakkad seat, had alleged that the Congress had made a deal with BJP during the Lok Sabha polls over the Palakkad seat. It was as part of the deal the Palakkad sitting MLA Shafi Parambil contested from Vadakara Lok Sabha seat and won with BJP's support and in return the Congress would help BJP to win in Palakkad now.
Announcing Sarin's candidature, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that Left-front would defeat the Congress - BJP deal in Palakkad. Sarin will contest as CPI(M) backed independent candidate.
Sarin who reached the CPI(M) Palakkad district committee office on Friday was received by the party workers raising welcome slogans for 'comrade' Sarin.
Congress leader and leader of opposition V D Satheesan said that Sarin was one who even approached the BJP for a seat. The CPI(M)'s decision to field him would ensure Congress candidate Rahul Mamkootathil's victory by over 10,000 votes. He also said that the CPI(M)'s nexus with BJP and RSS over Thrissur Lok Sabha seat was exposed by the Congress. The CPI(M) is now desperately trying to make baseless allegations of Congress - BJP nexus, he claimed.
Meanwhile, the BJP is yet to announce the candidate for Palakkad. CPI(M)'s decision to field Congress rebel has further brightened BJP's hopes. BJP came second in Palakkad in the 2016 and 2021 Assembly polls. In 2021, BJP candidate 'Metroman' E Sreedharan lost by just 3,859 votes.
While a tug of war has been going on between senior leaders Sobha Surendran and C Krishnakumar, the chances of BJP state president K Surendran himself emerging as the candidate was not being ruled out by party sources.