Politics

Speaking at the Congress Executive meeting here on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi urged Congress leaders to stay together. “CPI (M) cannot defeat Congress party in Kerala, (but) the Congress can defeat Congress in Kerala.”

The Core Committee of BJP Kerala Unit, which met in Kochi in the presence of party president Amit Shah, deliberated on its election strategy for Kerala.

The meeting decided that all senior leaders of the party should contest the elections. As there were shortages of good candidates, fielding of film stars and cultural leaders as candidates should be considered.

It was tentatively discussed that party president Kummanam Rajesekharan should contest from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram and former State president V. Muraleedharan from Kazhakoottam.

Kerala Yatra led by Muslim League leader P. K. Kunjalikutty began from Manjeswaram in Kasaragod on Friday evening with League president Panakkad Syed Hyderali  Shihab Thangal flagging off the march.

The march, being organised as a prelude to Assembly election campaign, will conclude in Thiruvananthapuram on February 11 after traversing all the districts.

CPI (M) and BJP today demanded the resignation of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Home Minister Ramesh Chennnithala on Sunday.

The demand is in view of criticism from courts against the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. The Bureau is functioning under the Home Minister.

The BJP on Sunday named a new team of office bearers at the State level.

Sobha Surendran, K. Surendran, M. T. Ramesh and A. N. Radhakrishnan are nominated as general secretaries.  J. R. Padmakumar is the new spokesperson. General secretary in charge of organisation, who is to be deputed from the RSS, will be named later.