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The Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League on February 25 concluded crucial seat-sharing discussion ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Though the Congress and the League leaders who took part in the deliberations termed the discussion as satisfactory, they refused to divulge the outcome of the deliberations and reserved the announcement for February 27.
It was the League’s demand for a third seat to contest in addition to the Malappuram and Ponnani seats, from where it has been successfully contesting for decades together, that warranted the bilateral discussions between the parties. The League had reportedly demanded a Rajya Sabha seat to drop its claim for a Lok Sabha seat. The Congress leadership, which had in principle accepted the League’s demand, is understood to have expressed its inability to part with a Lok Sabha seat. However, the party may concede to the League’s demand for a Rajya Sabha seat. The term of at least three Rajya Sabha members from Kerala will expire in July.
The League leaders, who emerged from the meeting said a final decision on the seat-sharing process will be announced after a discussion with the League supremo Panakkad Siddique Ali Shihab Thangal.
V.D. Satheesan, the UDF chairman and the Opposition leader and the League Leader P. K. Kunjalikutty, who spoke to the media after the discussion, termed the meeting as satisfactory. However, both the leaders remained tight-lipped on the consensus arrived at the meeting.
Mr. Satheesan said the Congress will have to discuss the outcome of the meeting with its national leadership.
The Opposition leader also added that there won’t be any further discussion on the sharing of seats.
The League’s demand for the third seat has already triggered a political discussion in the State with the BJP leaders criticising the Congress leadership for surrendering to the demands of the party. The BJP leaders had also accused both the CPI (M) and the Congress leadership of trying to woo the minority votes by acceding to the demands of the League.
Incidentally, the UDF leadership is under pressure to announce its list of candidates for the polls as their political rival, the CPI (M) has informally released its list of candidates.
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