No consensus yet on Cong's candidates list

New Delhi: Hectic parleys are on to resolve the differences between senior Congress leaders from Kerala over finalisation of candidates for the May 16 Assembly elections.

According to reports, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has taken a firm stand on his demands. Chandy reportedly reiterated at the screening committee meeting that sitting MLAs K Babu, Adoor Prakash, K C Joseph, and Benny Behanan should not be removed from the list. Sudheeran, however, has been asserting that those involved in scandals and those who have already been in the Assembly four times should not be fielded again.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and state Congress chief V.M. Sudheeran have been in Delhi since Monday evening to finalise the list of candidates in 82 seats.

While they have been able to finalise the candidates in most seats, Sudheeran is strongly opposing in renominating Excise Minister K. Babu, who is facing allegations in the bar scam, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash, who is embroiled in a row over land transfer, Culture Minister K.C. Joseph who has been a legislator since 1982, Benny Behanan for allegedly having links with solar panel scam accused, and five-time legislator and former minister Dominic Presentation.

Despite several rounds of talks amongst themselves, with party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi, both Sudheeran and Chandy, who is not willing to drop any, are determined to have their way, thus leading to this delay.

Polls for the 140-member Kerala assembly will be held on May 16.