The death of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president M.I. Shanavas, who represented the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat twice in a row, appears to have thrown up a challenge for the Congress leadership to find a suitable candidate for the upcoming general elections.
With too many leaders from north Kerala throwing their hat into the ring, party sources said that choosing the appropriate among them was a daunting task as Wayanad constituency was spread over Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad districts.
Even senior KPCC leaders from southern districts too are vying for nomination. A reason cited for the presence of too many contenders is that the constituency is considered to be the safest for the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the State.
KPCC member N.K. Abdurahiman, 64, chairman of the Karassery Service Cooperative Bank, had already announced that the seat should be offered to the 'I' group. Though his influence in the Kozhikode rural belt and Wayanad district remains indisputable, his candidature depends on the Congress high command taking into account his age and health.
Many other leaders, including former KPCC president M.M. Hassan and Kozhikode District Congress Committee president T. Siddique are keen to contest the polls.
Malappuram DCC president V.V. Prakash and All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Shanimol Usman are also eyeing for nomination. Aryadan Shoukath, son of senior Congress leader Aryadan Mohammed, is another contender.
Mr. Shanavas won the Wayanad seat defeating M. Rahmathulla of the Communist Party of India (CPI) by a margin of 1,53,439 votes in the 2009 elections. This was when Congress leader K. Muraleedharan, who was with the Nationalist Congress Party then, secured 99,663 votes. Despite multiple forces working against him in the 2014 elections, Mr. Shanavas managed to romp home. His margin of victory came down to 20,870 votes.
The electoral success of the Congress candidate depends on several factors in the traditional UDF constituency. But groupism within the party has put up an obstacle this time even as alliance partners such as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kerala Congress (M) are demanding additional seats.
The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency consists of Mananthavady, Kalpetta and Sulthan Bathery (Wayanad district); Thiruvambady (Kozhikode district), and Nilambur, Wandoor and Eranad (Malappuram district) Assembly segments.