Dispute over Rajya Sabha seat intensifies in LDF
Three Rajya Sabha members from Kerala -- CPI-M’s Elamaram Kareem, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, and Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani, will retire on July 1.
The Congress in Kerala on Wednesday announced that it will contest on 16 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The seat allocation was finalized after the party offered one Rajya Sabha seat to its alliance partner Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Addressing a press conference here, Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan said the IUML’s reconcilliatory stance had cleared the way for the United Democratic Force (UDF) to finalize its candidates in the 20 Lok Sabha segments in the southern state.
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According to the seat sharing accord, the Congress will contest 16 seats in which the party contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Indian Union Muslim League will contest in two seats, Kerala Congress (J) and RSP(B) will contest in one seat each.
Satheesan said a meeting of the screening committee will be held for finalizing the list of Congress candidates in the state. Once the list is approved by the Central Election Committee, it will be announced, he added.
Meanwhile, the IUML announced its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The party switched the constituencies of the sitting MPs of Ponnani and Malappuram. While E T Mohammed Basheer, the current Ponnani MP, will contest from Malappuram, Abdussamad Samadani will contest from Ponnani.
Former MP Francis George will contest as Kerala Congress(J) candidate from Kottayam constituency, while sitting MP N K Premachandran will contest from Kollam as RSP(B) candidate.
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