Kerala UDF attempts peace in ally Kerala Congress (Mani)

Top United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders on Tuesday met Kerala Congress (Mani) leader P.J.Joseph, who was side-stepped by Jose K.Mani to become the Chairman of the party on Sunday.

Joseph on Monday managed to get a Supreme Court stay on Jose's election till July 17.

Kerala Congress (Mani) is the third biggest party in the Congress-led UDF and it is trying its best to amicably resolve the crisis before bypolls to the six Assembly seats.

Four of these six Assembly seats were vacated after sitting MLAs (three from the UDF and one from the CPI-M) won the Lok Sabha elctions, while two seats became vacant following the death of sitting MLAs - K.M.Mani and P.B.Abdul Razack. Five Of the six seats were with the UDF. 

Former state Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader M.K.Muneer met Joseph and warned him not to do anything to destabilise the goodwill of the UDF, which won 19 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala in the recent elections.

Affairs have been fluid in the Kerala Congress (Mani) since the death of its founder K.M.Mani in April, with a power struggle on between P.J.Joseph and Mani's son Jose K.Mani. 

Joseph told the UDF leadership that he had always behaved maturely and it was Jose, who was being unprofessional.

Jose, a Rajya Sabha member, is currently in Delhi and some senior UDF leaders are expected to speak to him too. IANS