Kerala Assembly Election: UDF biggies who won't make it this time
Aryadan had already announced that he is not keen to contest citing old age and wanted his son to take over the seat.
Thiruvananthapuram: Out of the 39 Congress MLAs, five of them are not in the electoral fray in the 2016 Assembly elections. There are a few women Congress leaders who also have been denied a seat. But KPCC vice-president Laly Vincent has a remote chance to get a seat from Alappuzha district which is yet to be confirmed by the leadership.
Cooperation minister C. N. Balakrishnan, power minister Aryadan Muhammed, six time Thrissur MLA Therambil Ramakrishnan, Kodungalloor MLA T. N. Prathapan and Manaloor MLA P. A. Madhavan are not contesting this time.
Veteran Congress leader Balakrishnan has demanded today that he be made the Thrissur DCC president as he was denied the seat. Aryadan had already announced that he is not keen to contest citing old age and wanted his son to take over the seat.
Similarly Prathapan had also announced that he is stepping down so that youth leaders and women leaders get the seat which later saw him claiming for Kaippamangalam seat which erupted in to a major controversy. There has been local level opposition against Therambil for contesting again which saw the KPCC leadership giving the seat to Padmaja Venugopal.
Prominent women Congress leaders, but non MLA’s who have been unlucky to get a seat this time includes former AICC secretary Shanimol Usman, Mahila Congress president Bindu Krishna and KPCC vice-president Laly Vincent. There are reports that Shanimol was denied a seat for her verbal duel against KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran against the alleged links between K. C. Venugopal MP and solar scam accused Saritha S. Nair.