With the discussions at the district level over, the CPM has now gone into the process of finalization of candidates.
The names of the probable candidates which were recommended by the district secretariat would come up for discussion at the state secretariat and state committee meetings being held on Thursday and Friday respectively. The LDF list of candidates is expected to be completed by March 10.
The district secretariat meetings in Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kottayam came out with a probables list for the consideration of the CPM state secretariat. CPM state secretariat member Baby John and DYFI national president Mohammed Riyaz figure in the lists prepared by district secretariat in Thrissur and Kozhikode districts respectively.
Thrissur
Minister A C Moideen will contest again from Kunnamkulam. Sitting MLA from Puthukkad and education minister C Raveendran who completed the two-term norm has been dropped. In place of him, district committee member K K Ramachandran will contest from the constituency this time.
State secretariat member Baby John’s name has been recommended in place of sitting MLA K V Abdul Khader from Guruvayur. Puzhakal area secretary Xavier Chittiliapally or veteran leader M K Kannan will contest from Wadakkanchery. The other names are Chalakudy – B D Devassy. Irinjalakuda - K R Vijaya, Chelakkara - sitting MLA U R Pradeep, Manalloor - sitting MLA Murali Perunelli.
Kottayam
The district secretariat decided to include district secretary V N Vasavan and sitting MLA K Suresh Kurup in Ettumanoor list. District committee member K Anil Kumar and DYFI state secretariat member Jaick C Thomas figure in Kottayam and Puthupally list. The state committee will take a decision on the candidature of Vasavan and Suresh Kurup who have completed two terms. The meeting decided that Poonjar should be taken over by the CPM.
Kozhikode
The district secretariat dumped film director Ranjith who had expressed willingness to contest from Kozhikode north. Three state committee members from the district registered their protest against the move to field Ranjith. District secretariat recommended A Pradeep Kumar's name once again. It recommended the state leadership to consider minister T P Ramakrishnan from Perambra and K Dasan from Koilandy who have completed two terms, for another term. The names of K Mahaboob and P Sathi Devi have also been included in the list.
In Beypore, DYFI national president P A Mohammad Riyaz has been recommended in place of V K C Mammad Koya. Thiruvambady - Girish John, Balussery - K M Sachin Dev, E Ramesh Babu. The party had earlier decided to field sitting MLAs P T A Rahim and Karat Razzak from Kunnamangalam and Koduvally. Kuttiyadi seat is likely to be allotted to Kerala Congress.
Thiruvananthapuram
CPM district secretariat recommended seven sitting MLAs including minister Kadakampally Surendran in Thiruvananthapuram district. B Sathyan who completed two terms from Attingal has been dropped. Kazhakootam -Kadakampally Surendran, Varkala - V Joy, Vamanapuram - D K Murali, Vattiyoorkavu - V K Prashant,Parassala - C K Hareendran, Kattakada - I B Satheesh, Neyyattinkara - K Ansalan are the sitting MLAs who will contest again. V Sivankutty will be fielded from Nemom. Arruvikkara - former district panchayat president V K Madhu, Attingal – Cheriyankeezhu block panchayat president O S Ambika Kumari.
CPI, Kerala Congress refuse to yield
CPI has refuted the reports that it was ready to yield if Kottayam or Poonjar is given to the party in place of Changanassery. The Kerala Congress (M) has taken a stand that it is ready to spare Ettumanoor which is a sitting seat of CPM. But it wants Pala, Kaduthuruthy, Kanjirapally, Poonjar , Changanassery. The party is sticking to its demand for 13 seats.
The CPI expressed the willingness to spare Irikkur in Kannur, two seats in Malappuram besides Kanjirapally. The party will be contesting in 24 seats.
Palakkad
Law Minister A K Balan said that the reports regarding his wife Dr P K Jameela contesting in place of him from Tharoor in the coming polls were completely baseless and part of the script written by certain sections. "I will speak about the agenda of the people who had propagated a name that was not even discussed in district secretariat, sometime later. Only preliminary discussions were held on probable candidates. There is the mystery behind the repeated discussions on a name that was not even considered.
Balan said the Tharoor candidature issue was one of the stories that are being regularly dished out by the opposite camp to derail the CPM government chances of a repeat.
