Spontaneous, emotionally charged protests erupted near former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's home in Puthuppally in Kottayam districtof Kerala as soon reports came that the Congress High Command has likely suggested him to contest from the Nemom legislative assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district. Sources claim that Chandy had agreed to this party directive.
A band of supporters blocked the long-time Puthuppally legislator's car near his home, raising slogans, on Saturday. They demanded Chandy not to leave them or vacate the constituency which he has been representing continuously since the early 1970s.
Chandy looked apparently moved as the loyal supporters continued to waylaid his vehicle. He had returned home only early morning after days of talks in Delhi over finalising the Congress candidate list for the April 6 assembly elections in the state.
The Congress is set to announce its list of candidates for 91 seats on Sunday, leaving the rest 49 to its UDF allies. The party has already finalised the candidates for 81 seats.
Candidates for 10 constituencies, including Nemom, where a high-voltage contest is expected, Puthuppally and Dharmadom were yet to be decided.
(This article was first published in Onmanorama)