With four of its MLAs present insisting that they will contest the upcoming assembly polls, the Congress’ intention to hit the poll front with a quick list of candidates has suffered.
There is a poster war going on that puts the party on a sticky wicket as former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran; UDF convener Adoor Prakash; CWC special invitee and eight-time MP Kodikkunnil Suresh; and Kozhikode MP MK Raghavan have expressed their desire to contest, according to a senior party leader.
Posters supporting Mr. Sudhakaran and Mr. Prakash have sparked speculation, even as the party’s central leadership reiterated its stance that incumbent MPs should desist from contesting the Assembly elections.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi reportedly summoned Mr. Sudhakaran, who has had a prickly relationship with the party leadership over the past year, to Delhi on March 16 to categorically ask him not to contest.
Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan told reporters on Saturday that the party high command would resolve the issue. “How many times have I said before that High Command will decide?” asked a visibly irritated Mr. Satheesan.
He tried to downplay Mr. Sudhakaran’s Facebook post which mentioned his emotional bond with Kannur. He said Mr Sudhakaran distanced himself from the post when he spoke to him the previous day, although he was not sure if the position had changed since then. Mr. Satheesan suggested that the CPI(M) could be behind posters in his constituency, Paravur North, demanding Mr. Sudhakaran’s candidature.
At the heart of the unrest brewing in the Congress in Pathanamthitta district unit is the state leadership’s proposal to field candidates outside the constituencies and in some cases outside the district.
Senior leaders unhappy
The Congress hoped to regain lost ground in the district and the local leadership demanded to be heard before finalizing candidates. Senior leaders including PJ Kurien and Anto Antony have also learned to be unhappy with the current steps.
DCC general secretary and former Adoor municipal chairman Babu Divakaran, who expected to be fielded from Adoor constituency, fired the first salvo against the party leadership. On Friday, he resigned from the party and registered his protest against an “outsider” being selected for the contest.
Posters against Abin Varkey’s candidature have appeared widely in Aranmula, even as the Congress leadership seems determined to field him. In Ranni Rinku, Cherian, who was hoping for another chance after narrowly missing out on victory last time, also strongly opposed the proposal to field KPCC general secretary Pazhakulam Madhu in his place.
The community factor
Those supporting Mr Cherian’s candidacy also raised the issue of community representation. “Of the five seats in Pathanamthitta, one is allotted to the Kerala Congress. Of the remaining four, one is reserved for the Scheduled Caste community. If a Christian candidate from Pathanamthitta district is not considered for the other three seats, how will Christians in the constituency be represented in the Assembly?” asked the leader.
Meanwhile, there is opposition to the proposal to field Satish Kochuparambila, DCC president, from Konni.
Published – 14 March 2026 20:47 IST
