SDPI offers support for Lok Sabha polls in Kerala. But here's why Congress is caught in quandary

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Kochi:On All Fools Day, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) state president Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulavi addressed a press conference and offered its support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala for the Lok Sabha election...

Moulavi stated Monday that the SDPI would not contest any parliamentary seat in Kerala, and would instead support the Congress as the de facto leader of the INDIA bloc...

The SDPI strategy in Kerala is in contravention to its decision to contest seats against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu where its candidate supported by the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is contesting from Dindigul...

The development is likely to be milked by the CPI(M) and the BJP in Central Travancore where the SDPIs support is not likely to sit well with the UDFs Christian support base, unless the Congress decides to reject the support offered by the party, which is deemed unlikely...

Veteran journalist N.P. Chekkutty, who had also served as the editor of Thejas, the now-defunct PFI mouthpiece, suggested that the SDPI ploy could be seen as extending an olive branch to the Congress in case the INDIA bloc comes to power in 2024, so that it can derive some advantage in its run-ins with the law enforcement agencies...