Karunakaran bats for son Murali

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From the time that Congress veteran K Karunakaran and his son K Muraleedharan left the Congress to seek their own destiny, political winds have taken them through different trails.

After the duo masterminded formation of the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran), and then merged that outfit into the NCP, papa Karunakaran managed to humble himself for a re-entry into the Congress while Mr Muraleedharan has been in the political wilderness in Kerala.

Mr Muraleedharan was openly critical of his dad���s decision to abruptly leave their supporters and migrate back to Congress, but it seems politics apart, daddy dearest still takes great pleasure in his son���s lofty ambitions to make a footing for the NCP in Kerala.

When Mr Muraleedharan, who is contesting the Wayanad seat, met his dad here to seek the latter���s blessings, the octogenarian leader said his son was ���contesting to win���, notwithstanding the fact that the two are in different camps.

The NCP, however, will need more than Mr Karunakaran���s blessings, given that the party is neither aligned to the ruling Left Democratic Front nor to the Congress-led United Democratic Front. Congress leaders in the state vehemently oppose Mr Muraleedharan���s return to the party while the Left parties have also not been clear whether they want him in their team.

There is, however, a faint hope for Mr Muraleedharan and his NCP in Wayanad: The key contestants there, Mokkath Rahmathulla of the CPI and Congressman M I Shahnavas, have lost every single Lok Sabha and assembly election they have contested before, whereas Mr Muraleedharan has been an MP before.