The factional feud within the Kerala Congress (M) came to the fore on Tuesday with party leader K.M. Mani, in an apparent reply to party working chairman P.J. Joseph, stating that he too did not stand to benefit from the merger of the two Kerala Congress factions.
Talking to media persons here on Tuesday, Mr. Mani said though nobody gained much from the merger, it was still better to stand united. ‘‘It’s like you were expecting cent per cent marks in an examination but eventually ended up with 90%,’’ he said.
Mr. Mani sought to side-step the question on the reports of Mr. Joseph, KC(M) working chairman, expressing indignation over the conduct of the ongoing Kerala Yatra led by Jose K. Mani. ‘‘I am yet to come across any such statements from his side. Moreover, it was Mr. Joseph who set the rally off from Kasaragod,’’ Mr. Mani said.
Meanwhile, he said there was nothing inappropriate in pitching for two seats as the party had contested from three seats earlier. ‘‘We definitely need one more seat and our preference is Idukki. Or else, even Chalakkady or Thrissur can be considered,’’ he told media persons in Pala on Tuesday.
According to him, winnability should alone be counted while allocating the additional seat. Regarding reports of the Congress pushing hard for the Kottayam seat, he said the Congress leadership was favourably disposed towards the KC(M) contesting from the seat.
Observers attributed the early start in the hard bargaining by the KC(M) to assuage the feeling of indignation expressed by Mr. Joseph and his aides. There have been speculation of the faction led by Mr. Joseph counting on its options, including a split up, if denied a seat to contest in the Lok Sabha elections.
The faction is also reported to have informed its preference for the Idukki or Chalakkudy seats to Mr. Mani.
Meanwhile, confusion reigns within the KC(M) over fielding a candidate in the Kottayam seat with names of a few aspirants doing the rounds. An earlier statement by party vice chairman Jose K. Mani that his wife Nisha Jose would not contest from the seat had indeed opened the possibility of these hopefuls vying for the ticket.
The party, however, is keeping its cards close to its chest and insists on making a final call on the candidate only on completion of its ongoing Kerala Yatra.