An AICC election committee meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi will decide the final list of election candidates for Congress in Kerala. The state leaders had met party president to resolve the differences between senior Congress leaders in the state on Thursday.
For the past three days, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC President V M Sudheeran are camping in Delhi to give a final shape to the list prepared by KPCC and get the Congress high command nod for the same.
It had been decided to prepare a panel of names for the "disputed" 30 seats and final decision would be taken by the central election committee of the party, the sources said.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi had also met the state leaders.
The differences centred over the "stringent norms" put up by Sudheeran over the candidature of three Ministers K Babu, KC Joseph, Adoor prakash and two sitting MLAs, who are reportedly close to Chandy.
Sudheeran has been firm on his norms that MLAs who have won more than four times and those facing allegations should keep away from the elections. Senior leader A K Antony on Thursday extended his support to Sudheeran.
But Chandy has opposed any move to sideline his loyalists and conveyed the same to the high command.
Meanwhile, local congress leaders in Konni have come out in support of state Revenue minister, Adoor Prakash, whose re-nomination is being opposed, and have stated that any move to deny him ticket, will be opposed by them.
In a related development, posters against the stand of Sudheeran has appeared in certain parts of the state capital.
The KPCC President has insisted that persons facing allegations should not be given seats and those who had contested more than four times should make way for younger and new faces.
However, Chandy, has made it clear that if norms were to be strictly followed, he also would come under its purview and would have to keep away from polls.
CPI-(M) led LDF and BJP have already announced candidates for majority of seats and began their campaigning.