Palakkad bypoll: Congress should re-examine Rahul Mamkootathil's candidature, says Kerala leader as internal rift widens

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee digital media convener Dr P Sarin has raised objections against the candidature of Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil as party's candidate for the Palakkad bypoll and also cautioned that the party will face Haryana like situation if it goes ahead with the current decision.

Dr P Sarin, who raised the objection, had also written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi stressing the need to field a winnable candidate in the seat where the BJP was putting up a good fight.

"I still expect that the party leadership will review the decision. The defeat of Rahul Mamkootathil will be a defeat of Rahul Gandhi who has been fighting against Sangh Parivar forces. Unless the party corrects the flaws in candidate selection, it will face a Haryana like situation here also," said Sarin, who also projected himself as a winnable candidate from Palakkad.

While Sarin did not disclose his future plans, there are reports the CPI(M) is exploring the option of wooing Sarin and fielding him as party candidate from the Palakkad seat. CPI()M state secretary M V Govindan said that Sarin was yet to make his plans clear. "Let's wait and see," he replied to reporters' queries on the chances of the party fielding Sarin.

Sarin, who joined politics after leaving the medical profession and civil service career, had contested the Assembly election from Ottappalam in Palakkad in 2021, but lost to the CPI(M).

The key contention of Sarin was that Mamkootathil is not a leader from the district and he is a nominee of former Palakkad MLA Shafi Parambil, who was elected to the Lok Sabha.

Congress state leaders had rejected Sarin's criticisms. Kerala PCC president K Sudharkaran said that candidate selection was made by following the due selection process. He also said that in case of indiscipline on the part of Sarin, action would be taken against him

Opposition leader V D Satheesan has said that Mamkootathil is a popular leader across the state and it is nothing new that persons from one district are contesting in another district. 'If Mamkootathil has the endorsement of Parambil, who won from Palakkad twice, it should be also considered as another favourable factor for the candidate," said Satheesan.

Mamkootathil, aged 42, hails from Pathanamthitta district. He is making his electoral debut in Palakkad.