Kochi: The state unit of the Indian National Trade Union Congress – the workers’ wing of the Congress – has staked a claim for a ticket to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Alappuzha constituency. The state leadership has placed its demand before the party leadership, including national general secretary Deepadas Munshi, who is in charge of the state.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, INTUC state president R Chandrasekharan said the organisation has sought due consideration from the Congress leadership in the Lok Sabha polls. Asked if the trade union was seeking tickets to contest, Chandrasekharan quipped: “What else is meant by consideration in an election?”
He said the party has not demanded any specific seat and claimed that his organisation is equally strong in all 14 districts in the state. Top sources in the INTUC leadership, however, said that the union is eyeing Alappuzha, the lone Lok Sabha seat where the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) failed in the previous general elections. The sources said INTUC wants to field its representative on a Congress ticket from Alappuzha only if AICC general secretary K C Venugopal does not want to contest from there.
Though from Kannur, Venugopal is highly influential in Alappuzha, where he was elected as MP for two terms from 2009 to 2019. It is rumoured that Venugopal may return to Alappuzha in the upcoming polls as the Congress is keen to wrest the seat. Venugopal, now a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan, has not given any hint yet.
Meanwhile, INTUC’s Chandrasekharan sounded a warning to the Congress that if the labour union’s demand is not met, INTUC will be forced to go on an Independent ticket. He said though the Congress state leadership had promised to look into INTUC’s concerns, no solid action was taken during the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 or the 2021 state elections. “INTUC has 20 lakh members in Kerala and it is the only organisation that can mobilise votes for Congress,” he said.