The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is likely to consider a debutant for the Kuttanad Assembly byelection.
Party leadership meetings scheduled to be held in Kochi on Thursday are likely to take a call on the candidate for the seat that fell vacant following the death of Thomas Chandy, sources privy to the process told The Hindu.
Brother stakes claim
Chandy’s brother Thomas K. Thomas has staked a claim for the seat, but neither the NCP nor the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leadership is favourably inclined to fielding him. This has eventually prompted the party to explore other options and the leadership may opt for a new face, preferably a woman candidate, sources said.
A split in the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena, a prominent constituent of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, is likely to spoil the chances of the alliance in Kuttanad, considered to be one of the party’s strongholds in the State.
The BJP State leadership is yet to make a serious bid to revive the NDA and it does not seem to have sufficient time to put the alliance in order before the byelection. Ironing out a settlement between two factions of the BDJS is rather a tough proposition.
Buoyed over the victory of the Left Democratic Front in a string of Assembly byelections held recently, especially by NCP leader Mani C. Kappen in Pala, the front is facing the bypoll with confidence. But the LDF is unlikely to leave anything to chance and would be cautious in candidate selection. Fielding a debutant is seen as a better option than experimenting with others.