UDF to field A K Antony, Veerendra Kumar for Rajya Sabha

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Before the Assembly elections, both the LDF and the UDF have to gear up for the Rajya Sabha poll on March 21. Currently, terms of UDF's A. K. Antony and LDF's T. N. Seema and K. N. Balagopal's are getting over.

Mr Antony is expected to contest again at the AICC leadership's behest. The UDF has decided to give a seat to JD(U) leader M. P. Veerendra Kumar.
With the UDF having an upper hand over the LDF, it can ensure two seats leaving the LDF to be content with one.

Ever since JDU had been at loggerheads with the Congress for not taking action against the erring local leaders in Palakkad over M. P. Veerendra Kumar's defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, they had threatened to leave.

Though KPCC sub-committee had submitted a report to the KPCC leadership, they shied away from taking any action which upset the JD (U) camp. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and home minister Ramesh Chennithala had personally met Mr Kumar and assured him of an RS berth. Mr Kumar told reporters in New Delhi that JD (U) parliamentary party meeting would decide on the candidate.

“I am very happy that the Congress has decided to give one of the RS seats to JD (U)," he said. Mr Chandy informed all the allies over the telephone of the party’s decision to give one of the RS seats to JD (U).

Meanwhile, Mr Antony said he would not be returning to Kerala politics. With AICC leadership rendering support to him wholeheartedly, the Congress has not thought of another alternative.