As many as 56 sitting legislators, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues, will contest the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections as the ruling CPI (M) unveiled its list of candidates on Sunday — an hour after the Election Commission declared the schedule.
The only politburo member from the CPI(M) contesting the elections, Vijayan will seek a mandate for the third term from Dharmadam seat in Kannur. With winnability being viewed as a key factor in selecting the candidates, CPI (M) seems to have abandoned the two-term ceiling – bar on fielding sitting legislators who had completed two consecutive terms – that was introduced in the 2021 elections.
Announcing the names of the candidates, CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan said the party will contest in 86 seats, including those in which it will field Independents. “We have identified the candidates through a democratic process. CPI (M) is fielding candidates in 75 seats. In another six seats, the party will field independents, including sitting legislators P T A Rahim, K T Jaleel and V Abdurahiman. In another four seats (three of them currently held by Opposition IUML), the party will field Independents,’’ he said.
New faces among the candidates include P K Shyamala, wife of party state secretary M V Govindan, who is contesting from Taliparamba seat where the latter is the sitting legislator.
While most of the legislators will be fighting from their constituencies, central committee member K K Shailaja, popularly known as Shailaja teacher and hailed for her handling of the Covid pandemic, has been shifted to Peravoor seat – currently held by Congress state president Sunny Joseph. At Mattanur seat, which Shailaja has been contesting for in the last two terms, the party will field its youth wing DYFI’s leader V K Sanoj. Mattanur is one of the “sure seats” of the ruling party. The party had earlier stated that in such seats, the two-term policy will be implemented.
In Thalassery, the party will field Karayi Rajan, instead of sitting legislator A N Shamseer, who has completed two terms. The party has also dropped senior leader M M Mani, who is representing Udumbanchola seat in Idukki. Senior leader K K Jayachandran will contest from the seat. Actor Mukesh, who has completed two terms in Kollam, has also been dropped this time. He had faced sexual assault allegations, which surfaced in the wake of the publication of the Hema committee report looking into issues in the Malayalam film industry.
Among the 75 candidates the party has announced, 10 are women – a drop from 2021 and 2016, when the party had fielded 12 women.
CPI, the second leading partner in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), also announced its candidates in 25 seats on Sunday. While the party has dropped eight sitting legislators, all the four CPI ministers, including K Rajan, who have completed two terms, will contest again. To take on senior Congress legislator and Opposition leader V D Satheesan in his seat of Paravur, CPI has fielded its legislator E T Taison Master – currently representing Kaipamangalam seat.
Satheesan said, “We (United Democratic Front [UDF]) will return to power with over 100 seats.”
He said the Congress would announce its list in New after party leaders reach there on Monday.
(With PTI inputs)
