While the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has wrapped up seat sharing and has even released its manifesto, allies of the Congress-led Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) are still wrangling over seats.

Though there has been a lot of grumbling, none of the junior allies in the UDF have the gumption to rebel and leave the Congress-led alliance because there are no takers for them in the rival LDF camp.
The Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samiti (JSS), led by 92-year-old K.R. Gowri, is ready to accept four seats, scaling down its earlier demand of five after the Congress put its foot down. Now, the row is over which seats it should contest from.
The JSS is not keen to take up on the Kaipamangalam seat in Thrissur offered by the Congress since it feels it will stands no chance of winning from this pro-Left constituency.
The main hurdle, however, is the demand by Kerala Congress (Mani) for 18 seats, which is a climb-down from its initial demand for 22 seats.
The Congress has offered 15 in return and might settle for 16 seats.
“I hope it will all be clinched in two to three days,” said Kerala’s Opposition leader Oommen Chandy. Mr Chandy and State Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala were huddled in talks with K.M. Mani on Tuesday as well.

Mr Mani will prove to be a hard nut to crack, given his vast experience in protracted seat negotiations that defy a solution for nights and days, and even extend beyond the date for filing of nominations.
Mr Mani is likely to continue the bargain with the Congress till the very end, lest his own followers should blame him for not being persuasive enough.
Likewise, the Socialist Janata Dal, which jumped ship to the UDF on the eve of the of the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, insists on getting eight seats, and if it doesn’t, the party has threatened to remain a mere spectator and not contest in the elections.
Mr Chandy, however, said he did not find the wrangling unusual because the UDF now had more allies than the Left.
In the LDF, where seat talks were smoother this time around, the CPI(M) is contesting from 93 seats, the CPI 27, the Janata Dal 5, the RSP and the NCP 4 each, the Kerala Congrss (Thomas) and the Indian National League 3 each and the Congress (S) one.
The ruling CPI(M)-led LDF on Tuesday unveiled a poll manifesto.
Emphasising social welfare more than growth, the manifesto, released by Chief Minister V.S Achuthanandan vows to ensure housing, nutritious food, safe drinking water, electricity, and sanitation to all people of the state in the next five years.
“Our slogan for the next five years will be corruption-free and pro-people development,” said LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan, while introducing the manifesto before a phalanx of LDF leaders.
The manifesto makes the ambitious of promise of giving social security to all people of Kerala from birth to death.
Mr Viswan said that the LDF would turn Kerala into a woman-friendly state in the next five years. As part of this, women in the unorganised sector would be given a month’s maternity leave with wages. Further, the government will unveil special schemes worth `7,500 crore for women.
Timely completion of a high speed rail network, development of new ports and airports all feature on the LDF manifesto.