CPM announces candidates for Kerala Assembly polls; 56 MLAs to seek re-election

CPM state secretary MV Govindan has on Sunday announced the
candidates for the assembly elections as Kerala goes to polling
booths on April 9. The CPM will contest in 86 seats, including party
–backed independents

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will contest from his sitting seat of
Dharmadam in Kannur district. Along with the Chief Minister, nine
ministers of the ruling front are seeking the mandate this time.

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CPM candidates will contest in 75 constituencies while party
-supported independent candidates will seek the mandate in the
remaining 11 constituencies. CPM-backed independent candidates in
Koduvally, Kottakkal, Kondotty, Tirur and Palakkad constituencies will
be announced later.

. Of the 81 seats it is contesting from (including six independents),
the CPM has fielded 56 sitting MLAs. The number of women candidates in
the list stands at 10. In 2021, CPM fielded 12 women candidates.

Among those fielded are senior leaders including CH Kunhambu, KK
Shailaja and C Raveendranath. Several sitting ministers also feature
in the list, including V Sivankutty, Veena George and TN Vasavan. KK
Shailaja, who won from Mattannur with a record majority of more than
65,000 votes last time, has now been fielded from the Peravoor
constituency , the sitting seat of KPCC chief Sunny Joseph

Former minister MM Mani and speaker A N Shamseer are some of the
prominent leaders who are missing from the list. KK Jayachandran is
contesting from Mani’s seat while Shamseer has been replaced by Karayi
Rajan at Thalassery.

Mahila Association leader P K Shyamala has replaced her husband and
CPM state secretary MV Govindan in the Taliparamba seat. S Jayamohan
will replace two-term Kollam MLA and actor M Mukesh, who faced sexual
harassment allegations

The list also includes CPM -backed independent candidates in a few
constituencies, including KT Jaleel, V Abdul Rahiman, who is current
Sports and Wakf Minister, and Sujith Vijayan in Kollam.

Meanwhile, the CPI announced its candidates soon after the Election
Commission of India(ECI) announced the election date. CPI State
Secretary Binoy Viswam released a list of 25 candidates at a press
conference here on Sunday . The CPI has fielded Kaipamamgalam MLA ET
Taison from Paravoor, the sitting constituency of VD Satheesan, the
Leader of Opposition, who is expected to contest from the same seat
this time.

Four ministers of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government are
among the 25 candidates announced by the CPI . J Chinchu Rani
(Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy), K Rajan (Minister for
Revenue and Housing), GR Anil (Minister for Food and Civil Supplies),
and P Prasad (Minister for Agriculture) will contest from their
respective sitting constituencies- Ollur, Nedumangad, Cherthala, and
Chadayamangalam.

Among the 25 candidates, five are women. The party has given an
exemption to K Rajan from its two- term rule while dropping six MLAs
who have already completed two terms in the Assembly. Those excluded
include senior leaders such as E Chandrasekharan, EK Vijayan, and
Chittayam Gopakumar