Two ruling LDF candidates filed their nominations on Friday for the March 31 biennial election to fill three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala that will fall vacant early next month following the retirement of members.
The LDF has fielded CPI(M) state committee member A A Rahim and CPI leader P Santhosh Kumar as the front's candidates and are likely to win the two seats.
The two Left leaders, accompanied by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan, ministers and other leaders of the front, submitted their nomination papers to the State Assembly Secretary in Thiruvananthapuram.
The decision to share the seats between the CPI(M) and the CPI that the LDF is to contest was taken by the front at a recent meeting attended by its leaders, including Chief Minister Pinarayi.
The Left alliance consists of CPI(M), CPI, KC(M), NCP, JD(S), Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) and various smaller parties.
The elections are being held as the terms of senior Congress leader A K Antony, K Somaprasad (CPI(M)) and M V Shreyams Kumar (LJD) will expire on April 2.
The opposition Congress on Friday declared Jeby Mather and Ripun Bora as its Rajya Sabha candidates from Kerala and Assam, respectively. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has approved the candidature of Mather and Bora, a party statement said.
Elections to fill 13 Rajya Sabha seats across six states will be held on March 31.
While members from Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland and Tripura are retiring on April 2, five members from Punjab are retiring on April 9.
