UDF banks on PT’s legacy, chooses Uma

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress on Tuesday announced Uma Thomas, widow of late party leader P T Thomas, as the UDF candidate in Thrikkakkara assembly byelection on May 31.
The party took hardly a day to finalise its candidate, a marked departure from its usual practice and a sign of how crucial retaining this highly urbanised seat, considered a traditional UDF stronghold, is. For the CPM, which is likely to announce its own candidate in a day or two, Thrikkakara is equally crucial because a win would not only be a much-needed endorsement of Pinarayi 2.0 but also take the LDF's tally in the assembly to a symbolic 100.
A high-level meeting of Congress leaders at KPCC office in Thiruvananthapuram at 3pm picked Uma as the candidate.