In an announcement made on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala state assembly V D Satheesan revealed that Congress Party is set to contest 16 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state. Satheesan confirmed that the allocation of seats within the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has been finalised for the elections.
Addressing a press conference, Satheesan noted that like previous polls Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the UDF's second-largest coalition partner, would contest in two seats. He said, "Today, the United Democratic Front in Kerala has concluded bilateral discussions and reached a consensus regarding the UDF candidates in Kerala. Out of the 20 seats, Congress will contest in 16 seats."
Out of Kerala's 20 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress will vie for 16, while the IUML will contest 2, with one seat each have been allocated to KCJ (J) and RSP.
Despite recent admissions from the IUML leadership regarding their demand for an additional Lok Sabha seat, affirming they would not retract their stance, Satheesan assured that issues were amicably resolved through discussions.
Furthermore, Satheesan hinted at a potential resolution by indicating that the IUML might receive a Rajya Sabha seat instead of the additional Lok Sabha seat they had initially sought.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) has declared its nominees for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party is contesting in 15 constituencies. Earlier, CPI(M) State Secretary MV Govindan announced that the incumbent MP AM Ariff will once again be contesting from Alappuzha.