Congress rebels P Sarin(L) and A K Shanib
Credit: Facebook/Sarin A K Shanib
Thiruvananthapuram: Rebels are posing a threat to the Congress chances in the bypolls in Kerala, especially in seats like Palakkad where the BJP is pinning high hopes.
While the CPI(M) has already fielded Congress rebel Dr P Sarin as Left-front candidate at Palakkad, another Congress rebel, ex-Youth Congress leader from Palakkad A K Shanib, on Tuesday announced that he will contest the bypoll as an independent candidate.
MLA P V Anvar, who is now leading an outfit, Democratic Movement of Kerala (DMK), has also decided to field social worker Mihin Haji from Palakkad, making it a high-contest.
The rebels could pose a threat to Congress candidate Rahul Mamkootathil, considering that Congress' Shafi Parambil won the seat in 2021 by just 3,859 votes against BJP candidate 'Metro man' E Sreedharan. In the 2016, too, the BJP came second in this seat.
At Chelakkara in Thrissur where former Lok Sabha MP Ramya Haridas is contesting as the Congress candidate with the hopes of wresting the seat from CPI(M), dissident Congress local leader N K Sudheer is contesting as DMK-Kerala candidate.
Congress rejected Anvar's condition that he would withdraw his Palakkad candidate Mihin Haji if the Congress withdraws Ramya Haridas from the fray in Chelakkara.
The congress camps are learnt to be making all-out efforts to make Youth Congress leader Shanib withdraw his decision to contest.
BJP is fielding prominent leader from the district C Krishnakumar in Palakkad. For the BJP too, Palakkad is a prestigious battel and making all efforts to win the seat to mark its presence in the state assembly. At present BJP has no MLAs in Kerala.