Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 12 (IANS): An ally of the CPM-led Kerala government has expressed unhappiness as an NCP legislator complained about seat sharing in civic polls.

This was immediately seized upon by the opposition Congress-led UDF which invited NCP tp join them.

NCP legislator Mani C. Kappen said that his party which had contested more than 400 seats in the 2015 local body polls was given only 165 seats in the present polls.

The three-phase civic polls come to a close on Monday and on Wednesday the votes would be counted.

"We are breaking our silence now as in the Pala constituency our party NCP led in nine panchayats and one municipality and we were just given two seats. Till now we did not express our disappointment, but now we have decided to express our displeasure at the appropriate place," said Kappen.

NCP in Kerala over the years has been an ally of the Left and presently it has two legislators, including a state minister.

Incidentally Kappen won the Pala assembly seat last year in a by-election, following the death of veteran K.M. Mani who was the legislator from Pala since its inception in 1967 and had not lost a single assembly election.

Kappen who lost to Mani in 2011 and 2016, however won the seat last year, even when Mani's party - Kerala Congress (Mani) failed to capitalise on the sympathy factor.

Things for Kappen in particular, changed for the worse, ever since Mani's son - Jose K. Mani who now leads the party along with his supporters became an ally of the LDF, while the other faction led by senior legislator P.J. Joseph continues in the UDF.

After that, NCP has been feeling the heat as Kappen feels that his sitting seat might be given to Jose K. Mani and the first signs that Jose K.M ani is a force to reckon with, came when the NCP was given just two seats in the civic polls at Pala.

Hours after Kappen expressed his ire, UDF convenor M.M. Hassan extended an olive branch and said if Kappen is able to sink in with the UDF ideology, he is most welcome to join them.