Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 6 (IANS): Kerala Transport Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader A.K. Saseendran will meet NCP supremo Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Wednesday evening to brief him about a major crisis in the Kerala unit.

Saseendran has already met other leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday.

With elections round the corner, the NCP seems to be divided over the alliance in the state as NCP leader and MLA from Pala constituency in Kottayam district, Mani C. Kappan, has started unofficial discussions with the UDF owing to acute differences of opinion with the local CPM leadership and its intention to give his sitting Assembly seat to Jose K. Mani who had recently joined the LDF.

Kappan, had wrested the Pala seat from Kerala Congress after the death of veteran leader and Kerala Congress (M) chairman K.M. Mani who had represented the seat for a record 50 years.

In the strange turnaround and political U-turn, Kerala Congress (Mani) is now with the Left front. There are reports on serious confabulations within the Left front and specifically CPM to replace Kappan from Pala seat and to give it to Jose K. Mani.

NCP state general secretary Salim P. Mathew told IANS said, "We are with the LDF but we will not compromise on our sitting seats of Pala, Elathur and Kuttanad. If the LDF tries to gift Pala seat to Kerala Congress (M), we may have to do a rethink."

NCP state president T.P. Peethambaran Master is also in support of Kappan. Pawar has a soft corner for both Peethambaran and Kappan while Saseendran will meet him to convince him to continue with the LDF.