Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 13 (PTI) Senior CPI(M) leader Aisha Potty on Tuesday joined the opposition Congress, ending her more than a decade-long association with the Left party.
Potty, who represented the Kottarakkara Assembly constituency for three consecutive terms, formally took Congress membership after arriving at the venue of a day-and-night protest organised by the party in front of the Lok Bhavan here.
The move came as a surprise, as the leader had not been active in electoral politics for the past few years.
Addressing Congress workers along with senior party leaders, including K C Venugopal, V D Satheesan, and Sunny Joseph, Potty said she did not wish to make any negative remarks about the CPI(M).
A lawyer by profession, she said she has always mingled with people irrespective of religion, caste or political affiliation, and would continue to do so.
Speaking to reporters later, Potty indicated that she “felt neglected within the CPI(M) and was compelled to quit the party as she found it difficult to align with several of its positions.” She said the party was no longer the same as when she had joined it years ago, though she maintained that she had no objections towards its cadres.
Potty also said she was prepared to “face criticism and cyberbullying” following her decision to join Congress.
Responding to a senior Congress leader’s remark that she would contest the next Assembly elections from Kottarakkara, Potty said she had no information about such a decision and asserted that she was not “power-hungry”.
Potty had been keeping a distance from the CPI(M) for some time, leading to speculation about a possible switch to the Congress ahead of the elections.
Her participation in various public events, including a recent memorial programme for former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy organised by local Congress leaders, had further fuelled speculation, though she had earlier denied such reports.
Potty entered the Kerala Assembly from Kottarakkara in 2006 by defeating Kerala Congress (B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai. She improved her winning margin in the 2011 elections and went on to register a decisive victory in 2016 with a margin of over 40,000 votes. PTI LGK SSK
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