Oommen Chandy personal agenda may run into air pockets

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress circles are abuzz with the speculation that Mr  Oommen Chandy is eyeing the  Kottayam Lok Sabha  seat on a personal agenda, but there may be a backlash from the  voters of  Kottyam for the manner in which  Kerala Congress (M) MP Jose K. Mani has been favoured.  Senior Congress MLA K. Muraleedharan told DC that  Mr  Chandy, Mr   P. K. Kunhalikutty  and Mr  Ramesh Chennithala had promised to give the Rajya Sabha seat to the KC(M) when they visited party chairman K. M. Mani at  Pala seeking his support for the UDF in  Chengannur.    

Though KPCC leadership used to  seek the senior Congress leaders’ views  earlier on such matters, “this time,  they held no deliberations with me or the other leaders.   In fact,  P. J. Kurien, P. C. Chacko and Benny Behanan were seeking other Congress leaders’ support for the RS seat and  the top KPCC leadership was  aware of it,"  he  said. 

Now  the rift  between the  ‘supporters’ and ‘leaders’ has  come to the fore. Another senior Congress MLA said  Mr Mani and his son Jose K. Mani would be trounced in the next Lok Sabha elections  if they enter   the fray.  “The junior Mani sought the help of the CPM and the BJP.  But finding no response,   he approached the  UDF.  The Idukki LS seat will go to the P. J. Joseph faction and Kottayam  seat will be given to Chandy Oommen,"  said the  MLA. 

Such an eventuality will trigger another crisis.  Mr  Chandy has not tried to directly promote his son in  active politics. Currently,   Chandy Oommen, 32,  is practising under Supreme Court lawyer M. R. Ramesh Babu in New Delhi.  Mr Chandy Oommen had held the post of state Youth Congress secretary earlier. He has taken several degrees – BA History, LLB, MA and  LLM  Constitutional Law. Though he pursued M Phil in International Relations from New Delhi, he didn’t complete it. A DCC president from north Kerala said,  "I  doubt whether Chandy Oommen will be fielded from Kottayam. He does not have his  father’s   charisma or mass appeal. Will the YC and senior leaders support Chandy Oommen? Let's wait for May 2019,"  he  said.