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UDF seat-sharing deal in Kerala inked: Cong to contest 16 LS seats
The Congress will contest on 16 seats, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on two and one seat each will be given to Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (B)
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) on Wednesday announced the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Kerala. The Congress will contest on 16 seats, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on two and one seat each will be given to Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (B). The state has 20 parliamentary seats.
While the Congress declined to give away a seat from its kitty to the IUML despite the latter’s persistent demand for a third seat this time, as an alternative, it will offer the party its Rajya Sabha seat that will fall vacant in July this year.
“The IUML leadership had demanded a third Lok Sabha seat this time. As per the Congress evaluation, the IUML is deserving of a third seat. But in today’s situation, we convinced them of our practical difficulty in giving them an extra seat. IUML then withdrew its demand...” said Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan.
“As an alternative, we have offered the IUML a Rajya Sabha berth that will fall vacant in July. The seat belongs to the Congress, but we have decided to give them the seat. In the cycle after that, when the UDF comes to power in the state, we will maintain the formula of three RS seats for Congress and two for IUML,” Satheesan added.
IUML national general secretary PK Kunhalikutty acknowledged the Congress’ offer of the Rajya Sabha berth and said that this would mean that his party will have two members in the Upper House at all times.
With the seat-sharing pact finalised, the Congress will summon a screening committee to finalise its candidates for the polls. It is expected to be announced in the first week of March after approval by the party’s Central Election Commission.
The Congress is likely to field all of its 15 sitting MPs, including state party chief K Sudhakaran in Kannur although he had declined to contest this time citing party responsibilities. The party however has to find a candidate in Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, the only seat it lost to the LDF in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
IUML swaps seats for sitting MPs
The IUML leadership on Wednesday renominated its two sitting MPs but swapped the seats that they currently represent. While Ponnani MP ET Mohammed Basheer has been asked to contest in Malappuram, MP Abdusammad Samadani, the Malappuram MP, has been moved to Ponnani.
Though there were talks of fielding a younger face for the polls this time, the party has decided to stick to experienced ones. The party did not specify a reason why it chose to swap the seats of the sitting MPs.
