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Four ministers of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government are among the 25 candidates announced by the Communist Party of India (CPI) for the upcoming Kerala Assembly election. CPI’s Kerala state secretary Binoy Viswam, on Sunday, March 15, announced the candidate list shortly after the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared the schedule for the Assembly elections, making CPI the first political party in the state to release a complete list of candidates.
The party has renominated four ministers for another term: J Chinchu Rani (Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy), K Rajan (Minister for Revenue and Housing), GR Anil (Minister for Food and Civil Supplies), and P Prasad (Minister for Agriculture). All four of them will contest from their respective sitting constituencies: Ollur, Nedumangad, Cherthala, and Chadayamangalam.
Among the 25 candidates, five are women.
The party has given an exemption to K Rajan from its two- term rule while dropping six MLAs who have already completed two terms in the Assembly. Those excluded include senior leaders such as E Chandrasekharan, EK Vijayan, and Chittayam Gopakumar
Meanwhile, the party has fielded Kaipamamgalam MLA ET Taison from Paravoor, the sitting constituency of VD Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition, who is also expected to contest from the same seat this time.
The CPI is the second-largest ally of the LDF. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the party contested in 23 seats and won in 17.
The full list of candidates
Kasargod
Kanhangad: Govindan Pallikappil
Kozhikode
Nadapuram: P Vasantham
Malappuram
Tirur: Ajith Koladi
Manjeri: PK Mustafa (CPI independent)
Ernad: Shafeer Kizhissery
Palakkad
Mannarkkad: Manzil Becker (CPI independent)
Pattambi: Mohammed Muhasin
Thrissur
Nattika: Geetha Gopi
Thrissur: Alankode Leelakrishnan
Kaipamangalam: KK Valsaraj
Kodungallur: VR Sunil Kumar
Ernakulam
Muvattupuzha: N Arun
Kottayam
Vaikom: P Pradeep
Idukki
Peermade: K Salim Kumar
Pathanamthitta
Adoor: Priji Kannan
Alappuzha
Haripad: TT Jismon
Kollam
Karunagapally: MS Thara
Punalur: Ajayaprasad
Chathannoor: R Rajendran
Thiruvananthapuram
Chirayinkeezhu: Manoj Idamana