New Delhi: The Congress high command has taken a firm stand against allowing sitting MPs to contest in the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala, effectively blocking senior leaders K. Sudhakaran and Adoor Prakash from entering the fray.

The delay in the party’s second list of candidates was reportedly linked to K. Sudhakaran’s insistence on contesting from Kannur. Similarly, Attingal MP Adoor Prakash had been pushing to contest from Konni. However, the leadership has now made it clear that no MPs will be fielded.

In Kannur, former corporation mayor T.O. Mohanan is likely to be named the Congress candidate, while Satheesh Kochuparambil is expected to be fielded in Konni.

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The Congress leadership is closely watching Sudhakaran’s next move, as sidelining him could have political repercussions in the Malabar region and across Kerala.

Sudhakaran had earlier informed the leadership that he would not back down from his decision to contest. He reportedly remained firm even during discussions with senior leaders, including K.C. Venugopal.

With only three days left for filing nominations, the delay in announcing candidates has created uncertainty among party workers, especially as rival parties have already advanced their campaigns.

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Despite marathon discussions on Wednesday, including a core committee meeting, a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting at Indira Bhavan, and a follow-up meeting at party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, the party failed to finalise the candidate list.

Around 36 seats remain to be announced. Although there was initial consensus to release the list excluding contentious seats like Kannur and Konni, the decision was later deferred. Party sources said the list is now expected to be released at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Kerala and Assam will vote in a single phase on April 9, while Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 23. Voting in Puducherry will also take place on April 9. The polling in West Bengal will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29.

The counting of votes for all four states and Puducherry will be held on May 4, the ECI announced.