By Nalinee Seelal Tuesday, March 9 2010

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Anand Ramlogan...

Prominent attorney Anand Ramlogan yesterday resigned from the Congress of the People (COP) and reapplied for membership in the United National Congress (UNC) and has given his fullest support to UNC and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

His resignation letter was sent to political leader of the COP Winston Dookeran thanking him for his support since 2007. Contacted yesterday on Ramlogan’s defection to the UNC and his resignation from the COP, Dookeran said, “It is not surprising, and I have not heard from Mr Ramlogan.”

Persad-Bissessar welcomed Ramlogan back, confirming he has reapplied to be a UNC member once more. Under the UNC constitution dual membership is not allowed and I believe that Ramlogan’s re-entry into UNC politics will be a plus for the party,” she said.

When Ramlogan contested the 2007 General Election on a COP ticket his UNC lifetime membership became invalid. He went up against the UNC’s Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj for the Tabaquite seat and received 6,000 votes but Maharaj won with 7,200 votes. He had the second highest votes for the COP after Dookeran.

Ramlogan told Newsday he had been having talks with Persad-Bissessar and on Sunday he was invited by her to speak on a UNC platform in Tabaquite at the party’s “Meet the people tour” which takes place on Mondays.

Ramlogan said he accepted and has no regrets in returning to the UNC under the stewardship of Persad-Bissessar.

“I am endorsing her as the undisputed leader of any challenge in the next general election to the PNM,” he said.

Ramlogan left the UNC because its founder and former Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday “refused to relinquish the reigns of power”.

He does not believe Dookeran has the charisma to win over the public in a general election and said Persad-Bissessar can become prime minister. “Mr Dookeran has failed to excite and capture the imagination of the masses and his slogan about a new kind of politics is better served by Kamla implementing such a vision because she has the charismatic appeal and has demonstrated political strength,” Ramlogan said.

Devant Maharaj, who contested the Couva South seat in the 2007 General Elections as a COP candidate, is also expected to re-apply for membership in the UNC. Devant Maharaj, the chief executive officer at Radio Jaagriti 102.7FM and president of the Indo-Trinbago Equality Council, said, “I am considering joining the UNC once the conditions are proper” when asked if he was returning to the UNC. Maharaj was a former member of the strategy team of the UNC but his membership became invalid when he joined the COP.