Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 19 (PTI):Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is expected to lead the Opposition Congress led UDF battle in the crucial assembly polls due in April-May this year in Keral

The anticipated move follows consultations at the top party level in Delhi, Congress sources here indicated.

The Chief Ministerialcandidatewill be decided after the polls.

A 10-member committee has been formed with Chandy as chairman to oversee the election and draw up strategies to counter the ruling CPI(M) led LDF, which is aiming to ride to power for a second term, thus breaking the jinx that the two fronts can rule only alternately.

Seventy seven-year-old Chandy, along with CWC member A K Antony, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC President Mullapally Ramachandran, had held discussions with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi at Delhi on Monday.

Antony later said the chief ministerial candidate will be announced after the front's 'victory.'

The leaders had later told media personnel that they would face the polls unitedly and the only agenda was to ensure that theparty and the front come out with flying colours.

Chandy was showered with rose petals and given a warm welcome by party workers at the airport here on his return late last night from Delhi.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and RSP, both coalition partners of the front, had after the UDF's lacklustre performance during the recent local body polls, come out openly, suggesting that Chandy should be brought back to the forefront and given more responsibility.

Other members in the committee includeAntony, Chennithala,Mullapally Ramachandran, AICC leader in charge of Kerala, Tariq Anwar and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)