Former Congress chief PC Chacko has switched allegiance to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), according to sources. Chacko resigned from the party last week after expressing dissatisfaction with the candidates’ list for the Kerala elections and the lack of democracy within the party.
Chacko resigned from the Congress party last week, citing a conflict of interest in the selection of party candidates for the Kerala assembly elections.
“In Kerala, there are two fronts. The Congress is in charge of one, while the Left is in charge of the other. I’m no longer a member of Congress, so I’m compelled to take a stand. Chacko told the news, “I will help the LDF.”
On March 16, the 74-year-old leader will speak with NCP president Sharad Pawar. Mr. Pawar is expected to arrive from West Bengal today. I’ll see him and consider joining NCP, which is affiliated with LDF. Chacko said, “I will campaign for the LDF in Kerala.”
Chacko, a four-term member of the Lok Sabha, has been in politics for more than four decades. Chacko began his political career as a member of the Kerala Students Union, a student branch of the Congress. Chacko was first elected to the Kerala Assembly in 1980 and later became the Minister of Industries.
In 1991, he was elected to the Lok Sabha. The Left Democratic Front (LDF), Kerala’s ruling coalition of left-wing political parties, is up against the United Democratic Front (UDF), the Congress-led opposition coalition, in the April 6 assembly elections.
In Maharashtra, where the two parties, together with the Shiv Sena, form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the NCP has formed an alliance with the Congress.
The LDF is made up of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Kerala Congress (M), the Nationalist Congress Party, the Janata Dal (Secular), the Indian National League, and a number of smaller parties.
Kerala voters have alternated between the LDF and the UDF in the past. Following its success in the latest local body elections, the LDF aims to maintain its gains in the 140-member assembly of Kerala, the only state it governs. The BJP, which has been a minor player in the state so far, is planning to take on the ruling Left-led alliance. E Sreedharan, also known as “Metro-man,” is a Kerala native who has entered the saffron camp.
