Palakkad: LDF candidate P Sarin has requested former Youth Congress State General Secretary A K Shanib, who recently left the Congress, to withdraw from the Palakkad byelection. Sarin has urged Shanib not to file his nomination and to support him in the race. However, Shanib has stated that he will not withdraw from the contest. He is expected to file his nomination by Friday afternoon.
Shanib has stated that his candidacy is in protest against the authoritarian stances of VD Satheesan and Shafi Parambil. He has also alleged that there is a secret pact between Congress and the RSS in the Palakkad-Vadakara-Aruvikkara regions and that K Muraleedharan is the martyr of this agreement. Shanib has further accused that the by-election in Palakkad is a result of this pact.
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 the Palakkad assembly by-election. Recently, P Sarin and AK Shanib paid floral tributes at the memorial of K Karunakaran at Murali Mandir in Poonkunnam, Thrissur.