The Communist Party of India (Marxist) which heads the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala has reportedly finalized the probable list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is likely to contest from his sitting seat in Dharmadom in Kannur while his party and cabinet colleague KK Shailaja will contest from Mattannur from the district.
One of the popular faces of the CPI(M), Health Minister KK Shailaja is the sitting MLA of Kuthuparamba in the district. Industries Minister EP Jayarajan is the sitting MLA of Mattannur.
Others who have made it to the list of probable candidates are MB Rajesh, who will be contesting from Thrithala in Palakkad; KN Balagopal from Kottarakkara; while P Sathidevi will be fielded by the party from Koyilandi in Kozhikode. The three leaders are former MPs: Rajesh had represented Palakkad in 2009 as well as 2019, Balagopal had been a Rajya Sabha MP (2010-16), while Sathidevi had represented Vadakara in 2004-09.
According to the list, CPI(M) District Secretary of Kottayam, VN Vasavan, will contest from Ettumanoor in the district. In an unprecedented move, the party will field PK Jameela, wife of minister AK Balan, from Tharoor in Palakkad. Balan is the sitting MLA of Tharoor, and he has contested in the polls four times.
TV anchor turned politician Veena George will reportedly contest from her sitting seat in Aranmula. Saji Cherian, who got back the Chengannur seat from the Opposition United Democratic Front in the 2018 bye-elections, will be fielded from the constituency again.
Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran will be contesting from his sitting seat Kazhakuttam in Thiruvananthapuram, while V Sivankutty will contest from Nemom in the district. Nemom is the only seat of the BJP in the state.
Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) leader Mohammed Riyaz, will contest from Beppur in Kozhikode; while Students Federation of India leader Sachin Dev is said to contest from Balussery in the district.
Others in the probable list are Ansalan (sitting MLA) from Neyyattinkara, singer Daleema George from Aroor, OS Ambika from Attingal, J hitharanjan from Alappuzha, PP Sumod in Kongad, K Anil Kumar in Kottayam, KV Sumesh in Azhikode, and IB Satheesh in Kattakada.
However, the party has reportedly excluded four ministers – Thomas Isaac (Finance), G Sudhakaran (Public Works), C Raveendranath (Education), and AK Balan (Culture) – from its list apart from EP Jayarajan.
CPI(M) has not made any official announcement of the list. The lists will be sent to the district committees for further discussion and a final list will be announced after that.
Kerala will go to polls on April 6.