Kottayam, February 19 Stephen George, the general secretary of the Kerala Congress (M), said on Thursday that the party's steering committee will make the final decision on candidate selection for the upcoming Assembly elections.
He said reports regarding party candidates, including in Pala, were merely speculative.
"We will first discuss seat-sharing within the LDF. Whether there are any changes in the allotted seats or any exchange of seats has to be known first," George said.
According to the party constitution, the steering committee is empowered to make decisions on candidates, he said, adding that, in line with party procedure, the chairman would be entrusted with holding discussions before making the official announcement.
"This has been the practice followed by the party since the time of K M Mani," George said.
He said discussions with the LDF regarding seat-sharing would be held on February 23 and that he and Jose K Mani would attend.
The steering committee would convene once clarity emerges on the number of seats allotted to the party and whether there would be any changes in the existing seats, George said.
Following discussions at various levels, the steering committee would authorise party chairman Jose K Mani to announce the candidates, he said.
"At present, what is happening is only expressions of opinion," George added.
The Kerala Congress (M) is facing a dilemma over the candidature of its chairman, Jose K Mani, with party minister Roshy Augustine making early claims that the leader would contest from Pala.
However, Mani, a Rajya Sabha MP, has yet to clarify whether he will contest again after his defeats in the 2019 Assembly bypoll and the 2021 Assembly election from Pala.
The party finds itself in a tight spot in Pala, a constituency represented by its founder, K M Mani, from 1965 until he died in 2019.
After losing the 2019 bypoll following his father’s demise, Jose K Mani later aligned the party with the LDF in 2020.