Thrissur Congress chief Prathapan denies predicting rout

THRISSUR: District Congress Committee (DCC) president T N Prathapan on Wednesday denied having talked about the possibilities of an electoral setback for him in Thrissur Parliament seat at the Congress leadership meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.


Talking to reporters, Prathapan said the reports which appeared in the media to that effect could apparently be due to wrong briefing by someone.

Prathapam claimed that he would win with a comfortable majority of over 25,000 votes in Thrissur. He said the BJP candidate would come at the third place after the LDF in the electoral race in Thrissur. "Actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi, the BJP candidate, may have bagged some votes by means of his popularity, but I have received votes from all communities, including Hindus, Muslims and Christians," Prathapan claimed. Prathapan's reported statement had sparked concerns in the Congress and UDF camps. Some of the Congress leaders were planning to take up the issue with the party high command. They pointed out that Prathapan's statement that a section of Hindu voters has shifted their loyalty to Suresh Gopi will alienate the voters from that community.

Some sections in the Congress opined that Prathapan's talks of possible debacle in Thrissur were part of a design to create the impression that if at all he wins it will be because of his personal charisma. And if he loses he can blame external factors, they argued.