Thiruvananthapuram: With Lok Sabha elections in Kerala scheduled for April 10, ruling Congress-led UDF and the opposition CPI(M)-led LDF are expediting the seat-sharing arrangement and candidate selection for the 20 seats at stake to meet the fast approaching deadline.
Though initial rounds of talks have already been underway, a clear picture is yet to emerge as far as both the fronts are concerned.
Signals emanating from the political camps are that there would not be much change in seat-sharing in the UDF as well as the LDF compared to 2009, though some of the partners this time round have staked claim for additional seats.
In 2009, the UDF won 16 of the 20 seats -- 13 by Congress, two by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and one by Kerala Congress (Mani).
Prominent UDF contestants in 2009, who are likely to be back in the fray, include Union ministers Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram), K V Thomas (Ernakulam), E Ahamed (Malappuram), K C Venugopal (Alappuzha) and Mullpally Ramachandran (Vatakara).
Always a 'distant third' without ever winning a single Parliament or assembly seat in Kerala's bipolar polity, BJP is all set to put up former Union Minister O Rajagopal in Thiruvananthapuram, from where he had unsuccessfully contested twice earlier. Rajagopal's name has been proposed by the state unit to be cleared by the central election committee.
Though initial rounds of talks have already been underway, a clear picture is yet to emerge as far as both the fronts are concerned.
Signals emanating from the political camps are that there would not be much change in seat-sharing in the UDF as well as the LDF compared to 2009, though some of the partners this time round have staked claim for additional seats.
In 2009, the UDF won 16 of the 20 seats -- 13 by Congress, two by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and one by Kerala Congress (Mani).
Prominent UDF contestants in 2009, who are likely to be back in the fray, include Union ministers Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram), K V Thomas (Ernakulam), E Ahamed (Malappuram), K C Venugopal (Alappuzha) and Mullpally Ramachandran (Vatakara).
Advertisement
Always a 'distant third' without ever winning a single Parliament or assembly seat in Kerala's bipolar polity, BJP is all set to put up former Union Minister O Rajagopal in Thiruvananthapuram, from where he had unsuccessfully contested twice earlier. Rajagopal's name has been proposed by the state unit to be cleared by the central election committee.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
BJP Accuses Congress Of Inciting Violence Against PM Modi With 'Maut' And 'Hinsa' Remarks Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report On Camera, Jagan Reddy's Party Member Hacked To Death On Busy Andhra Road Bangladesh Imposes Curfew, Deploys Military As 105 Die In Protests "Jindal Group Executive Showed Porn, Groped Me On Flight": Woman To NDTV Over 300 Indian Students Return Home As 105 Bangladeshis Killed In Protests Joe Biden Is The Best Person To Take On Trump, Says His Campaign Wife Among Two Jailed For Life For Man's Murder In Gurugram: Cops 1,100 Flights Cancelled In US As Microsoft Outage Disrupts Operations Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.