Thiruvananthapuram: It is being hinted that the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) State chapter might split over the Pala seat allocation by the LDF for the upcoming Kerala Assembly election.
As the CPM State leadership has informed the NCP National leadership that Pala, the sitting seat of NCP, can not be allocated again, one faction of the NCP is preparing to leave breaking up the long term alliance with the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The faction led by Mani C Kappan, the sitting MLA at Pala, is mulling over splitting from the NCP and leaving the LDF. Praful Patel, NCP national secretary, had talked to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the phone regarding Pala seat.
However, the CPM has no plans of letting go of the Pala seat. The CPM said that instead Mani C Kappan can contest in the polls from Kuttanad. However, Mani C Kappan is firm on his stand that he is not going to contest the election from anywhere else, but Pala. With this, the split and infighting within the NCP State chapter have intensified.
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NCP National president is to meet the NCP state president T P Peethambaran and Mani C Kappan and discuss the matter. It is being hinted that there could be a decision on leaving the LDF. Meanwhile, State Minister and NCP leader AK Saseendran said that all that is being circulated are rumours and assumptions.
The LDF is 'irking' the NCP over the Pala seat allocation for the sake of Kerala Congress’s Jose K Mani faction who had joined the LDF right before the local body polls in the state in December 2020.
