Congress leader K.V. Thomas, who raised the banner of protest after being denied a ticket for re-election from the Ernakulam Lok Sabha seat, has bucked the trend of rejected Congress leaders joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. Rebutting rumours that he was planning to join the BJP, Mr. Thomas said in New Delhi that he belonged to the Congress and would do nothing to weaken it.
He said his protest was not as much against being denied a seat, but “against the manner in which the issue was handled.” Mr. Thomas had openly expressed his resentment at not being informed that he would be kept out of the fray. The veteran has represented Ernakulam in Parliament five times and the Ernakulam Assembly seat for one full term during which he was a Minister in the Chandy Cabinet.