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Kerala’s Youth Congress is pushing for a ample role in upcoming assembly elections, seeking at least 30 seats – a significant portion of the 50 percent earmarked for youth and women candidates by the Congress leadership. The demand comes as the party prepares to finalize its candidate lists, with several prominent Youth Congress leaders vying for nominations.
A Push for Representation
The Youth Congress meeting resulted in a firm request to the Congress leadership to nominate a slate of rising stars, including state president OJ Janish Kumar, Abhinavarki, K. Abhijit, R. Shahin, and notably, Farzeen Majeed.Majeed’s potential candidacy is particularly noteworthy given his recent involvement in a high-profile protest.
Farzeen Majeed and the Mattannur Seat
The Youth Congress is strongly advocating for Farzeen Majeed to contest the mattannur constituency. This move is complex by the fact that Mattannur is currently held by the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) within the United Democratic Front (UDF). Though,the RSP has indicated it will only seek seats where it has a strong chance of winning,perhaps opening the door for the Congress to take over the constituency.
Majeed gained prominence following a protest against the Chief Minister during a flight related to the gold smuggling controversy. The incident, which involved a handshake with LDF convener EP Jayarajan, sparked considerable controversy, leading to a flight ban and legal proceedings. despite the controversy, the Youth Congress believes Majeed could mount a strong challenge in Mattannur, currently represented by KK Shailaja, who won the last election with a commanding majority of 60,963 votes. The LDF also held a lead of 3034 votes in the constituency during the last Lok Sabha elections.
Key Contenders and Their Target Constituencies
Beyond Majeed, several other Youth Congress leaders are positioning themselves for potential nominations:
- OJ Janish Kumar, the state president, is focusing his efforts on securing the Kodungallur seat, where he has already begun campaigning. The seat is currently held by CPI’s VR Sunilkumar.
- KM Abhijith, a national secretary, is being considered for either Koilandi or Nadapuram. Competition for the Koilandi seat is expected,with Kozhikode DCC president K. Praveen Kumar also reportedly interested.
- R. Shah, the kozhikode district Secretary, is hoping to contest in beypur. However, his candidacy could potentially jeopardize the UDF’s control of the Kozhikode District Panchayat if a by-election were to be triggered by a loss.
Further names being circulated include Binu chullil (Chengannur), abin Varki (Aranmula), Arita Babu (Kayamkulam), Jayagosh (Palakkad), Vijil Mohan (Kalyassery), and Sudhish Velchal (Thrikaripur).
Past Performance and Current Dynamics
The Youth Congress has historically struggled to convert candidacies into wins. In the previous assembly elections, only Shafi Parambil, contesting from Palakkad, emerged victorious out of 12 Youth Congress candidates. However, recent local government election results, particularly the UDF’s strong showing in Koilandi, offer a glimmer of hope for improved performance this time around.
The demand for 30 seats reflects the Youth Congress’s ambition to play a more central role in Kerala’s political landscape. The coming weeks will be crucial as the Congress leadership weighs these demands and finalizes its candidate lists, shaping the battleground for the upcoming assembly elections.
