THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After T M Jacob, it will be his son Anoop Jacob. The Kerala Congress (Jacob) has decided to stake claim for the ministership that has fallen vacant due to the death of Civil Supplies Minister T M Jacob on behalf of Anoop Jacob, 33, a lawyer by profession and head of the party’s Youth Front.
A meeting of the office-bearers of the Kerala Congress (Jacob) held at Koothattukulam soon after Jacob’s funeral on Tuesday, took the unanimous decision to appeal to the UDF leadership and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to induct Anoop as minister at the earliest.
Though there are rumours that Daisy Jacob, wife of the deceased leader, is tipped as a choice to contest the Piravom bypoll and a few UDF leaders were supporting her, she was reportedly against it.
The Jacobite Church also came out in the open with a demand that a member of the Jacob family should contest the Piravom bypoll, forcing the meet to arrive at a quick understanding.
The demand will be formally made after a leaders’ meet scheduled here on Thursday. Party chairman Johnny Nellore, along with senior leaders, will meet the Chief Minister, leaders in the UDF, KPCC president and the UDF convenor and convey the decision.
The formal announcement of the party’s choice for ministership was held back on Tuesday on the suggestion of Johny Nellore that coalition principles warranted a formal discussion with the Chief Minister and other prominent leaders.The meet which lasted for one-and-a-half hours was termed as a condolence conclave, but it veered around the future moves of the party.
As 11 out of the 14 office-bearers were behind Anoop, none suggested any alternative name. Many pointed out that with Anoop contesting the bypoll as a minister and with the sympathy wave, it would make a real difference to the outcome.
When the office-bearers insisted that the party chairman should announce the name of the minister, Nellore said, “It’s Anoop”. When the demand came for making the decision public, he said that they should hold it for a couple of days.
Nellore told reporters that the decision on the minister and related matters would be announced on Thursday. “The party is eligible for a ministerial berth. There is no need to wait till a legislator is elected for the party,” he asserted.
Comments
0 comment