Kottayam: CPM leader Jaick C Thomas will take another chance at the Congress bastion Puthuppally in the upcoming assembly bypoll on September 5.

The CPM Secretariat approved Jaick's candidature on Friday. The official announcement will be made in Kottayam on Saturday.

Jaick's chances of becoming the candidate of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) for the by-election to the Puthuppally legislative assembly constituency have increased after the Kottayam district leadership of the CPM proposed his name to its Kerala state leadership.

Jaick was the runner-up in the Puthuppally assembly constituency in the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election. He has contested against Oommen Chandy thrice.

Speculation was rife earlier that a person who is not from the CPM or Left ranks would be fielded in Puthuppally, a constituency where the former party has been contesting regularly.

In this context, state minister for registration, V N Vasavan of the CPM, stated that there were a number of deserving candidates in the LDF and that there was no need to search for disgruntled persons from other parties.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) has already declared the candidature of Chandy Oommen, son of the late Oommen Chandy who had been the MLA from the constituency continuously for over half a century.

The UDF expects that the upsurge of sentiments following the recent death of Chandy and public discontent against the state government of the LDF would see it through in the constituency.

The Puthuppally byelection, which has been necessitated by the death of legislator and former Kerala Chief Minister Chandy last month, is scheduled for September 5 and the result will be announced on September 8.