Shashi Tharoor, MK Raghavan sitting pretty

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The All-India Congress Committee has found that only two party MPs can be certain to return to the Lok Sabha from their sitting seats. They are Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram and M. K. Raghavan from Kozhikode. All others, including K. C. Venugopal, Antony Antony and K.V. Thomas, are on slippery grounds and they may be shifted to other seats.

Venugopal may have to go to Pathanamthitta or Wayanad and Antony Antony to Idukki or Thrissur. There is mounting opposition to K.V. Thomas, Ernakulam sitting MP, as it is alleged that he is rarely seen in the constituency.

The AICC has conducted a survey across the state to gauge the views of the party workers and voters on their preferences for the candidates. AICC general secretary in-charge of the state, Mukul Wasnik, has also toured the 14 DCCs.

Venugopal has been facing opposition in his Alappuzha constituency from the minority community. The AICC survey team has received a feedback that Venugopal should be shifted to Wayanad or Pathanamthitta. But a senior Congress MLA told DC that Venugopal will contest from his sitting seat.

"He will change his constituency only if the AICC leadership insists as his credibility as at stake as AICC general secretary in charge of the organisation. So Venugopal is keen to defend his Alappuzha seat itself," he said.

A cross section of office-bearers in Pathanamthitta is upset with sitting MP Anto Antony and wants a leader from the constituency to fight the polls. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala had recently supported Anto Antony when the former came to lay the foundation for the Ezhikkal housing colony. This has irked the DCC leadership. Antony may be moved to either Idukki or Thrissur.

Mr K. V. Thomas and Mavelikkara MP Kodikunnil Suresh are in hot waters.

 The major complaint against five-term MP Thomas is that during the floods, he was not in the constituency. An Ernakulam DCC leader told DC that he has been promoting his personal Vidyadhanam Trust which works for the underprivileged people through educational activities.

The local DCC leadership alleges that the MP rarely comes to the constituency. However, Kodikunnil, KPCC working president, has been doing good work in Mavelikkara.