Palakkad: Former Youth Congress State General Secretary A K Shanib withdrew from the Palakkad Assembly byelection on Friday, a few days after leaving the party following its digital media head, P Sarin. Sarin is the LDF candidate there, contesting the seat vacated by Shafi Parambil's move to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara.
Shanib also announced his support for Sarin in the bypoll on Friday after a meeting with him but clarified that he would not be joining the CPM. Earlier in the day, Sarin had requested Shanib to refrain from filing his nomination and to back him instead. Shanib, however, noted that his candidacy had initially been a protest against the authoritarian positions taken by VD Satheesan and Shafi Parambil. He has also alleged a secret pact between Congress and the RSS in the Palakkad-Vadakara-Aruvikkara regions and that K Muraleedharan was the martyr of this agreement. "The by-election in Palakkad resulted from this pact," he added.
Initially, Shanib had mentioned that he would cooperate with the CPM and campaign for Sarin. However, he later decided to contest as a rebel candidate in Palakkad. Recently, Sarin and Shanib paid floral tributes at the memorial of K Karunakaran at Murali Mandir in Poonkunnam, Thrissur.