The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded a surprise candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram Central constituency, with film actor and Left sympathiser Sudheer Karamana set to contest the Assembly elections as an independent backed by the alliance.
The move comes after the Kerala High Court rejected a plea to stay the conviction of former minister and MLA Antony Raju in a case of evidence tampering. This effectively ruled out the possibility of the LDF fielding Antony Raju as a candidate, and created uncertainty within the alliance.
Reports had earlier indicated strong dissatisfaction within the CPI(M) over the delay in announcing a candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram Central seat, which is allocated to the Democratic Kerala Congress within LDF. The uncertainty deepened after Antony Raju was deemed ineligible to contest.
Within the LDF, the CPI(M) leadership was not keen on taking over the seat directly. While the party had suggested fielding an independent candidate, Antony Raju had insisted that the candidate should contest under the Democratic Kerala Congress ticket.
Though there were initial discussions to field minister and current Thiruvananthapuram West MLA V Surendran Pillai as the Left candidate, the proposal did not find acceptance with the Democratic Kerala Congress. Efforts to bring in Surendran Pillai were eventually dropped following opposition from Antony Raju.
The BJP had initially kept the Central seat open with the intention of fielding Surendran Pillai, after sensing his dissatisfaction with the RJD. Talks were initiated for his possible entry into the NDA as an ally. However, the BJP insisted that he contest under the party’s lotus symbol, leading to his withdrawal. Following his exit, the BJP announced Karamana Jayan as its candidate.
After prolonged discussions, both the CPI(M) and the Democratic Kerala Congress reached a consensus to field Sudheer Karamana, bringing clarity to the candidate selection in the constituency.