Kerala assembly polls: SDPI pulls out of Manjeshwar race

KOZHIKODE: Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on Thursday withdrew its candidate in Manjeshwar assembly constituency, where BJP's former state president K Surendran is locked in a contest with UDF candidate and incumbent MLA AKM Ashraf. SDPI leaders had said that the decision to withdraw its candidate Ashraf M K was taken after many political parties, social organizations and coordination committee approached them requesting the candidate's withdrawal saying that fielding a candidate would help BJP win the seat. In 2021, IUML candidate AKM Ashraf had won by a slender margin of 855 votes. SDPI's move to field a candidate in the constituency had led to criticism that it would only help BJP secure a win. The state leaders held a meeting at Uppala in the morning and issued directive to the candidate to withdraw the nomination. Ashraf said that it was the party's state leaders who had asked him to contest and now the nomination has been withdrawn on the basis of direction from the party state leadership itself. Ashraf said that he would be resigning from his organizational post in SDPI as well. SDPI state president CPA Latheef said that the party had fielded its candidate following the policy of ‘positive politics' rather than thinking which party would win or lose if the candidate is fielded. "The decision was made as part of the policy of setting the stage for a future win by contesting in the seat," he said. Meanwhile, SDPI also withdrew the its candidate in the Mankada assembly constituency in Malappuram, C H Ashraf.