The Kerala Congress (M) led by veteran leader K M Mani, today decided to support the Congress-led UDF candidate in the May 28 by-election to the Chengannur assembly constituency.
The sub-committee meeting of KC (M) held at Pala in the district, however, did not take a decision on the demand of a significant section of the leaders that the party, which had left the alliance in 2016, rejoin the UDF fold.
Besides Mani, the sub-committee meeting of the KC(M) was attended by senior leaders including MLAs and MPs.
Addressing a press meet, Mani announced the party's decision and said it was taken in view of "the necessity for unity of regional parties to fight communalism at the national level."
He said the Karnataka assembly election results and political developments in the country thereafter have underlined the need for putting up a joint fight of secular forces and regional parties against "growing communalism."
Mani alleged that the BJP government at the Centre and CPI(M)-LDF government in Kerala were ignoring the small farmers who are facing a lot of hardships due to their "wrong" policies.
The decision comes a day after a group of UDF leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala, former chief minister Oommen Chandy, Kerala PCC chief M M Hassan and IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty visited Mani at his residence in Pala seeking KC(M)'s support for the UDF candidate in the Chengannur bypoll.
KC-M sources said the party's decision was also influenced by the CPI (M)'s "dilly-dallying" on the party's bid to join the LDF fold.
Senior UDF leaders, including Chennithala welcomed the decision, saying it would "add more colour" to the victory of UDF candidate D Vijayakumar in the bypoll.
CPI(M) candidate in Chengannur Saji Cherian said the KC(M)'s decision would not hurt his chances of winning.
The KC(M) has been adopting an equidistance stand towards all fronts in Kerala after it severed its three-decade-old tie-up with the Congress-led UDF in 2016.
The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of CPI(M) leader K K Ramachandran Nair.
BJP had finished a close third in the 2016 polls.
Former BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai is the NDA candidate.
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