DIC(K) backs Chandy as CM

Kochi, Apr 12 (UNI) Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) leader T M Jacob today said there was no doubt that Mr Oommen Chandy will be the Chief Minister once again in Kerala after the UDF wins the coming Assembly elections.

Adopting a stance different from that of veteran leader K Karunakaran, who said the issue of the Chief Minister will be decided by the UDF partners after the elections, Mr Jacob said at a press conference here that there was no doubt about who the UDF Chief Minister would be.

On the DIC(K)'s merger with the Congress, Mr Jacob said this was an issue to be ''discussed and facilitated after the elections''.

He said that both KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala and DIC (K) chief K Muraleedharan had signed an agreement to this effect.

Mr Jacob said the UDF partners were going to the polls as a united force and there was no difference between the Congress, the DIC (K) or the other UDF partners. The LDF, on the other hand, was witnessing differences between its leaders Pinarayi Vijayan and V S Achuthanandan, he said.

On the stringent criticism levelled by him against the Smart City project here, Mr Jacob said that he had no misgivings about the project after he had talks with Mr Chandy. ''All my doubts have been clarified. The project should come to Kochi,'' he added.

On his poll prospects, Mr Jacob expressed confidence about winning his eighth election to the Assembly comfortably.

He expressed optimism about the UDF's prospects also and hoped that the combine would do even better than in 2001, when it had won 100 of the 140 assembly seats.

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