Jacob Abraham of the Kerala Congress (M) will be the candidate for the United Democratic Front in the upcoming Kuttanad bye-elections. Shibu Baby John of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (B) had been decided as the candidate for the Chavara constituency. UDF Chairman and Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala declared the candidates at a press conference held in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, post a meeting of the coalition.
Jacob Abraham belongs to the PJ Joseph faction of the Kerala Congress (M). Shibu Baby John is a former minister from the previous UDF government.
The bye-polls were necessitated due to the death of the legislators Thomas Chandy and Vijayan Pillai, who represented Kuttanad and Chavara constituencies, respectively. Both were leaders of the ruling Left Democratic Front.
Thomas Chandy of the Nationalist Congress Party died in December 2019 after a battle with cancer. He was the state president of the party. A minister for a brief period, he had held the Transport portfolio.
N Vijayan Pillai of the CPI(M), known as Chavara Vijayan Pillai, passed away in March this year, after being under treatment for a terminal illness for two months.
This time the opposition has deviated from the style of declaring candidates late for elections, usually after the LDF does so.
“The UDF has finalised the candidates. From Chavara, Shibu John of the RSP will contest while in Kuttanad, Jacob Abraham of the Kerala Congress will fight the bye-elections,” Chennithala said.
In the 2016 Assembly elections too, the UDF had given the seats to the same allies and the same candidates took on LDF candidates in the constituencies.
However, post the death of the party patriarch KM Mani in April 2019, KCM has split into two — a faction led by Mani’s son and Rajyasabha MP Jose K Mani and former minister PJ Joseph. The UDF has embraced the Joseph faction.
The Jose K Mani faction of the Kerala Congress (M) has won the legal battle between his faction and the rival one led by PJ Joseph before the Election Commission by getting the ‘two leaves’ symbol.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the LDF has been mulling to recommend that the bye-elections be done away with, as Assembly elections are scheduled to be held next year. The incumbent government assumed power in May 2016. If the bye-polls are held, there will only be a few months that the elected MLAs will be in office.