Kerala CPI-M 'gifts' its prospective Rajya Sabha seat to Jose K. Mani

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI-M's Kerala unit on Monday "gifted" its Rajya Sabha seat to the Kerala Congress-Mani, the third biggest constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF),

This decision was taken at the LDF meeting held here on Monday evening.

Addressing the media, LDF Convenor E.P. Jayarajan said the CPI-M has a different outlook "as it is considerate to its allies". "Hence we know the feelings of our allies and we have decided to give our seat to the KC-M. The other seat will be given to the CPI," he said.

Election to three seats will be held on June 25. Of the three, the LDF can win two, while the third will go to the Congress-led United Democratic Front.

The question of these two seats had become a contentious issue in the LDF, as the CPI was unwilling to part with its seat that was getting vacant and the KC-M leadership was very keen to ensure that party Chairman Jose K. Mani, whose present term in the upper house of the Parliament is ending in a few weeks, retains his seat.

On Saturday, the CPI-M top brass met the leadership of the CPI and Mani separately and the CPI stood firm that under no circumstances, would they give their seat to anyone.

On the other hand, the KC-M suffered a jolt when its lone sitting MP lost the Lok Sabha polls from Kottyam. With Mani’s term also ending soon, there will be no representation in Parliament for the KC-M, and hence the party and Mani had been putting pressure on the CPI-M for the Rajya Sabha seat.

Mani, who will be filing his nomination soon, heads the bigger faction of his father K.M. Mani's party. Soon after the death of his father, Mani joined the ruling LDF and his party won five seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. However, Mani suffered a rude jolt when he lost from his father’s traditional seat

The other party faction, led by veteran legislator P.J. Joseph, is with the Congress-led UDF.