Kerala Congress (M) eyes ‘two winnable’ seats

KOTTAYAM: The Kerala Congress (M) has said that it would like to contest from at least ‘two winnable’ seats in the Lok Sabha polls. Speaking to reporters here on Monday, party chairman K M Mani also said that there was no difference of opinion between him and working chairman of the party P J Joseph.
Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy himself had said that the Kottayam parliamentary seat belongs to the Kerala Congress (M), said Mani.
“There was a time when the party had contested for three seats. So, there is no impropriety in staking claim for two seats now, he said. Apart from Kottayam, let it be Idukki, Chalakkudy or Thrissur,” he added.
Regarding the merger of the Mani and Joseph groups, Mani said none has benefitted from the union. However, it was better to merge than staying separate. “Though I expected 100% marks from the merger, I received only 90%,” said Mani. He evaded questions about statements made by P J Joseph on Sunday. Joseph had said that the Kerala Yathra lead by Jose K Mani was decided without any discussions in the party. He had also indicated that his group did not benefit from the merger with the Mani group.
Regarding the party candidate in Kottayam, Mani said the party will make a decision after careful consideration. There are many in the party who can do well in the elections. The candidate will be decided after discussions with the party leaders, he said.
The Kerala Congress (M) an ally of the Congress-led UDF has traditionally contested for the Kottayam Lok Sabha seat.