Kochi, March 17 MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly from the Perumbavoor assembly constituency expressed hope on Tuesday that the Congress would give him another opportunity to win from the constituency for a third time.
However, his name was not included in the first list of 55 candidates announced by the Congress for the upcoming assembly elections in Kerala on April 9.
Of the 20 sitting MLAs, he is the only one whose name has not yet been confirmed.
Speaking to reporters here, Kunnappilly said he was unaware of any reasons why his name had not been confirmed.
He also said that he had not been informed that he would not be contesting in the upcoming elections.
Kunnappilly expressed confidence that the Congress would not abandon him.
He claimed that if he were selected, he could guarantee a victory with over 10,000 votes.
The Congress leader also told reporters that he had risen through the ranks, thanks to his hard work, and had done a lot of work for his constituency in the last 10 years.
"As a result, the party workers and leaders here want me to contest again. I have their support, as do all the Christian churches," he claimed.
The Perumbavoor MLA is accused of "raping" a woman several times since July 2022, and the Crime Branch had filed a charge sheet against him in the case in 2024.
Kunnappilly told the reporters that he had given the entire file related to the sexual assault case against him to the party and asked them to examine if he was eligible as a candidate or not.
He also said that the case had not yet gone to trial.
He also made it clear that if he was not selected as a candidate, he would not leave the party.
"I have always been a Congressman and will continue to be so," he said, adding that he only wanted to be a panchayat member, but the party had given him the opportunity to become an MLA.
He also asserted that whenever he was given a seat, he would win.