Fielding three of its sitting legislators and accommodating some candidates from the prominent socio-religious groups as part of a social balancing act, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] released its list of candidates for the Assembly elections in the district on Wednesday. The Communist Party of India (CPI) will field Eldho Abraham once again from his sitting seat, Muvattupuzha. The party is yet to announce its candidate for the Paravur seat. The list of UDF candidates is expected shortly.
K.J. Maxi, M. Swaraj, and Antony John, CPI(M) candidates who won the last Assembly election from Kochi, Thripunithura and Kothamangalam constituencies respectively in 2016, are being fielded again from their constituencies.
The CPI(M) has fielded its State secretariat member P. Rajeev to wrest Kalamassery seat from the Indian Union Muslim League. V.K. Ebrahim Kunju represented the constituency in the outgoing Assembly.
Mr. Rajeev had made an unsuccessful run in the 2019 Parliament election. He had also unsuccessfully contested from Vadakkekara Assembly constituency. The UDF and the IUML are yet to decide on their nominee for the seat even as the controversy over the Palarivattom flyover corruption case, in which Mr. Kunju is an accused, is raging.
In Vypeen, the party has rested sitting legislator S. Sarma, who has an impressive track record of getting elected to the State Assembly six times. K.N. Unnikrishnan, CPI(M) district secretariat member, will be the LDF candidate from the coastal constituency.
In Kunnathunad
P.V. Sreenijan, a former Youth Congress leader and Congress candidate from Njarakkal constituency, is the CPI(M)’s pick for Kunnathunad Assembly constituency. Mr. Sreenijan, son-in-law of K.G. Balakrishnan, the former Chief Justice of India, was defeated by M.K. Purushothaman of the CPI(M) in the 2006 election. Later, Mr. Sreenijan parted ways with the Congress and aligned himself with the CPI(M).
The Congress may ask sitting legislator V.P. Sajeendran to once again contest from the seat. The Corporate-backed Twenty20 has also fielded a candidate in Kunnathunad.
The Left front is fielding Shaji George from Ernakulam constituency as an independent candidate and the UDF is likely to field sitting legislator T.J. Vinod to take him on. Mr. George is a publisher and former vice-president of the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Council.
J. Jacob, a medical doctor, is the party’s choice for Thrikkakara constituency. Here too, the LDF candidate will have to face sitting legislator and Congress strongman P.T. Thomas.
Shelna Nishad, architect and daughter-in-law of of K. Muhamadali, a former Congress MLA representing Aluva, is the party’s candidate for Aluva constituency. Mr. Muhamadali has an enviable track record of representing the constituency for six straight terms from 1980 to 2001. It was trade union leader A. Yousuf who ended the winning streak of the Congress in the constituency. However, the party won back the constituency in 2011 through Anwar Sadath, who was again elected in 2016. Mr. Sadath is likely to defend his seat in the upcoming election.
