The final list of the candidates for Manorama News Newsmaker 2018 was announced on Sunday. The finalists are former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, Kerala Health Minister K K Shylaja, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai and the fishermen who volunteered to take part in the rescue operations during the August floods.
The voting to find out the winner started with the announcement of the finalists. Brief profiles of the finalists are as follows:
S Nambi Narayanan
He fought for justice for two decades. The Supreme Court ordered a compensation for the ISRO former scientist on September 14. An enquiry was also launched against police officers who had trapped Nambi Narayanan in the ISRO spy case. The state government handed over the compensation to Nambi Narayanan soon after.
K K Shylaja
She led the effort to contain the dreaded Nipah virus that claimed several lives in north Kerala. Work to introduce the Clinical Establishment Act aimed at ensuring quality in the health sector was another achievement. However, Shylaja was criticized over the Kannur-Karuna medical college ordinance.
P S Sreedharan Pillai
In 2018, P S Sreedharan Pillai took over as BJP's Kerala president. He is the prime opponent of the government over the issue of women’s entry at Sabarimala temple. His remarks on the Sabarimala row as heard in a leaked video had created a stir.
Life-saving fishermen
The fishermen rescued over 65,000 people during the August floods. Showing exemplary courage and comradeship, the fisherfolk are termed Kerala's own rescue army.
How to vote
The finalists were announced during a special show aired by Manorama News. The finalists were chosen from a list of 10 candidates. The debates in which the finalists participate will be aired on Manorama News from next Sunday. Votes could be cast by logging into manoramanews.com/newsmaker or by SMS in a prescribed format.