Date:22/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/22/stories/2006112206480600.htm

Kerala

Muralidharan is new NCP State president

Special Correspondent

Party to campaign for LDF in Thiruvambadi Assembly bypoll

NEW DELHI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday declared K. Muraleedharan as new president of the party unit in Kerala. The party will campaign for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate in the December 4 Thiruvambadi Assembly byelection.

The NCP State unit was reconstituted following the merger of the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) with the NCP on November 12.

NCP general secretary P.A. Sangma said his party president Sharad Pawar had decided to induct the former Kerala Chief Minister K. Karunakaran into the party's working committee and make the outgoing NCP State chief P. Cyriac John as a special invitee to the working committee.

Mr. Sangma said the NCP in Kerala had become strong with the reorganisation. The move would have an impact on politics in the country in general and in Kerala in particular.

``We are partners in the coalition [in the Left Democratic Front in Kerala] and we are continuing.

NCP support

The NCP has decided to support the LDF candidate in the Thiruvambadi Assembly byelection and work for the victory of the LDF,'' Mr. Muraleedharan said at a press conference here.

The NCP State unit would hold a convention on Wednesday to communicate the decision to its party workers.

In addition, Mr. Muraleedharan has been asked to reorganise the State unit within a month in consultation with party leaders T.P. Pithambaran and A.C. Shanmughadas, Mr. Sangma said.