The CPI(M) state leadership on Friday has decided to nominate senior journalist John Brittas and CPI(M) leader Dr V Sivadasan as the party's candidates for the biennial elections to be held for the Rajya Sabha. John Brittas, who had earlier been the media advisor of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is also the Managing Director of Kairali TV, a CPI(M) mouthpiece.
According to reports, through the Polit Bureau of the party was considering KK Ragesh, whose term as Rajya Sabha MP recently ended, the state leadership has finalised the names of John Brittas and V Sivadasan as candidates.
John Brittas, who is a senior Kerala journalist, is an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Delhi University. He has covered prominent news events like the Babri Masjid demolition and Gujarat riots.
In June 2016, he was appointed the media advisor, sans salary, of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. However, earlier this year in February, CM Pinarayi terminated the post of Media Advisor and Police Advisor.
CPI(M) leader V Sivadasan is the former National President of Students Federation of India.
Three Rajya Sabha seats from the state fell vacant recently as the term of three Member of Parliaments -- KK Ragesh of the CPI(M), Vayalar Ravi of the Congress and Abdul Vahad of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) -- ended. Though initially, the elections were postponed by the Election Commission, on April 12, Kerala High Court ordered that polls should be held before May 2, before election results in Kerala came out.