Crises in Keral ruling coalition over seat-sharing

While MP Abdussamad Samadani IUML, CPI leader V.V. Raghavan and CPIM state committee member K. Chandran pillai filed their nominations today, RSP nominee N.K. Premachandran had filed his papers on June 9.

Thus, the differences between the two major constituents of the ruling Left democratic Front, widened and the dispute remained unresolved.

The CPIM has virtually pushed the CPI to the wall by 8220;unilaterally8221; deciding to field its candidate and allot another to a minor partner 8212; RSP 8211;for two of the three seats.

Peeved by the 8220;big brotherly8221; attitude of the CPIM, the CPI had entered the fray, nursing the grouse that the former had not consulted or discussed the seat-sharing issue at the state committee of the LDF, the highest policy-making body of the ruling coalition.

Of the three seats, the LDF is confident of winning two seats, going by its strength of 77 in the 140-member state assembly. The Opposition United Democratic Front UDF could win the one seat allotted to the IUML as it has 63 members. But the UDF leader Congress I will go unrepresented in the upper house from the state.