Senior Congress leader to contest for CPI-M in Kerala?

, March 6: The CPI-M continues to spring surprises as they appear to have roped in senior

leader Phillipose Thomas to contest

's Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat for them.

"I will be meeting all of you tomorrow (Friday) to explain this," said Thomas when reports of his candidature being discussed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist at their meeting being held here Thursday.

Thomas is known to maintain close relationship with Defence Minister A.K.Antony and newly appointed Congress state unit president V.M.Sudheeran and hence it has come as a total surprise to many.

In the past he was the Congress Pathanamthitta district chief for a few years and had contested elections to the Kerala assembly unsuccessfully on a few occasions.

"This is no surprise to me because for a few weeks this was in the air. Thomas's family has close relations with a former Lok Sabha member and a CPI-M fellow traveller and the first round of talks for this took place. The deal for his switching sides was finalised by a very senior CPI-M former minister clinched the deal," a senior party leader from Pathanamthitta told IANS.

The CPI-M had Wednesday finalised the decision to field popular comedian and character artiste Innocent from Chalakudy and also former Gujarat IAS official and former secretary to then president Prathiba Patel.

IANS