Tussle in Kerala Cong reaches Delhi over lone RS seat

New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) The tussle in the Kerala Congress has reached the doors of Sonia Gandhi after state President K. Sudhakaran on Thursday met the party president to discuss party's candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat.While Congress in Kerala is pushing the name of M. Liju, the party central leaders want Krishnan Sreenivasan. After the meet, Sudhakaran said, "I have met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and held a discussion on nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat. Both want to promote youngsters."The elections to three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala are to be held on March 31. Those who are retiring include 81-year-old Congress veteran A.K. Antony, K. Somaprasad (CPI-M) and M.V. Shreyams Kumar, who leads the Loktantrik Janata Dal, an ally of the Left Front in Kerala.With the ruling Pinarayi Vijayan government enjoying a full majority in the 140-member Assembly, it's a foregone conclusion that the Left Democratic Front will win two and the Congress-led opposition one.Antony has already informed the two-time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, State Congress president K. Sudhakaran and other senior leaders that he is not interested for another term.The claimants are many including outgoing state party president and former Union Minister Mullapally Ramachandran and K.V. Thomas, who was deeply upset when he was not given his sitting Ernakulam Lok Sabha seat in 2019. Thomas has met Sonia Gandhi but sources say he has not got a positive reply from her.
--IANS miz/skp/

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