RSP-Congress slugfest over local poll seat sharing in Kollam

Thiruvananthapuram: The RSP has kicked off a storm by demanding more seats in the November local body elections. Party secretary A. A. Azeez has demanded 20 seats for the RSP in Kollam Corporation, but DCC president V. Sathyasheelan has said “No”. The RSP wants more seats than what the LDF had given them last time.

 

Azeez said in Kollam that the RSP has got more stakes in south Kerala, claiming that it is the second largest ally in the UDF. However, Kollam DCC has already expressed its displeasure against the RSP’s demand. Sathyasheelan told DC that at the first district-level meeting of the UDF on September 28, the RSP had not demanded more seats.

 

“At that meeting, it was unanimously decided that the sitting seats of UDF allies would be defended by them again. RSP leaders have so far not come to me for more discussions on this,” said Sathyasheelan.

 

He also said the RSP has got an additional parliamentary seat already. Apart from Kollam, the RSP has been demanding more seats in Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta districts as well. Incidentally, CPM secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had held talks with RSP MP N. K. Premachandran in Kozhikode guest house on Friday. Kodiyeri had said that the CPM doesn’t have any hostility towards the RSP hinting at having a change of mind from them.