Daijiworld Media Network- Kasargod (SN/SP)

Kasargod, Mar 22: The Congress candidate Shanimol Usman, who had been earlier chosen as the Congress candidate from Kasargod constituency, has expressed her reluctance to fight the election from Kasargod constituency.  As such, the has announced Sahida Kamal as her replacement.

The local Congress activists expressed their anger over the party's action in not choosing a local candidate and vehemently opposed the decision of the party to give an opportunity  to a rank  outsider. The local leaders said, that the party has not been faring well in the Lok Sabha elections here because of the wrong choice of candidates. It has been demanding for fielding a local candidate from this constituency.

At a time when all other political partis selected their candidates and got involved with campaigning for their candidates, Congress, which has several local aspirants for the ticket, finally came out with the name of Usman for this seat.

Usman was the single woman to find a mention in the Congress list of candidates and also happened to be  the only  one from among the minority community. Since she was not allotted the ticket either from Atingal or Alapuzha, from where she sought the ticket, she decided to withdraw herself from the reckoning. It was also informed to Sonia Gandhi, president, AICC and other Congress leaders.

She cited some  family problems and requested the party leadership for nominating her from Alapuzha but failed to get their nod.

The activists from Kasargod had proposed the name of Subbayya Rai and Kodoth Govindan Nair for the allotment of Congress ticket from here, but the Congress top brass did not show interest in them.

Later, Shahida Kamal, secretary, AICC Women’s Committee was brought in as replacement for Shanimol Usman after a  emergency meeting held at Tiruvantapuram on Friday March 20 by the Congress leaders.