The CPM, which has chosen neither to defend nor to decry the party men arrested in the Sabarimala gold theft, has an evident change of tactics when it comes to local body elections. The party has fielded leaders accused of political murders and those involved in alleged tobacco smuggling in the civic body and panchayat wards. 

The party has three such leaders in the fray; A Shanavas in Alappuzha, Karayi Chandrasekharan in Thalassery, and P P Sureshan in Kannur. Shanavas was suspended by the party earlier in connection with the Karunagappally tobacco smuggling case, which involved the seizure of banned tobacco products worth around ₹1 crore hidden inside lorries at Karunagappally, one of which was owned by Shanavas. 

Karayi Chandrasekharan is arraigned as an eighth accused in the murder of NDF activist Mohammad Fazal in 2006. The CBI charged him and Karayi Rajan with criminal conspiracy. They surrendered in 2012 and spent one-and-a-half years in jail before securing bail in November 2013. In the 2015 local body polls, Karayi Rajan got elected as the Kannur District panchayat president while Karayi Chandrasekharan became the Chairman of Thalassery municipality. However, they had to quit their respective posts after the bail conditions prevented them from leaving Ernakulam district. P P Sureshan is the 28th accused in the murder of the Muslim Students Federation Thaliparampa mandalam treasurer Ariyil Shukoor in 2012. He was charged with conspiracy to murder. 

Shanavas contests from Alappuzha Municipality’s Thondankulangara ward. Shanavas, currently the councillor of the Kalath ward, said his membership has not been reinstated. He has an added reason: " Official party membership is not required to contest the polls". 

Alappuzha CPM District Committee Secretary R Nazar also backed him, saying that he is a popular candidate. "For us, winning the majority is the most important. The people like him," he told Onmanorama. 

He said that the push for Shanavas came from the community itself. “The ward from which Shanavas is contesting, the people there specifically asked for him,” he said. He added that the party recognises Shanavas’ past mistake but believes in his repentance. “He did something wrong, but he apologised and vowed never to do it again. The people there want him as their leader,” Nazar said. Confident of the outcome, he added, “He will surely win with a great majority from that ward.” 

Karayi Chandrasekharan will contest from Thalassery municipality’s Chellakkara ward. Current Chellakkara councillor and CPM member, Anitha I put up a stern defence. “He was trapped in a fake case and we are 100 percent sure of that,” she said. According to her, his image within the community remains unchanged. “He is someone whom everyone likes. Chandrasekharan is someone who is there to help everyone here. He is a people’s leader. Nobody had any problem until now, but now that he is contesting, people are digging up old stories,” she said. 

In the 2015 local body polls, he won the Chellakkara ward with 379 votes, securing a 201-vote lead over the UDF. 

The candidates thrive on popular appeal, like in Kannur’s Pattuvam gram panchayat, where CPM has fielded P P Sureshan. Panchayat Vice President V V Rajan insisted Sureshan has been falsely implicated. “His name was unnecessarily dragged into the case. I have known him all my life and I can say for sure that he is not part of it. All the people in the ward support him and he will come out victorious,” he said.

Even political opponents respond to CPM choices with caution. BJP member and Manhodi ward councillor Lijesh K said mere accusations should not define a person’s guilt. “Just because there is a police case on someone, we cannot say that person is a culprit. In Thalassery and especially in Kannur, police cases are common,” he said. He added, “Just because he is an accused in a murder case, we cannot say he is a culprit; the court has to decide that.”

Legally, all three candidates are within their rights to contest. Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, disqualifies only those who have been convicted. A charge sheet or ongoing trial does not bar a candidate from entering the electoral race. The law presumes innocence until proven guilty, meaning accusations alone do not affect eligibility.

Former journalist and political observer N P Chekkutty noted that while such situations are not new to Kerala politics, they raise important questions about the standards parties choose to uphold. According to him, pushing leaders with such serious cases into public positions simply because they can ensure electoral success sends a troubling message. “These actions challenge democratic politics. Honourable people should make these people step aside. Normally, all political parties avoid these people, but it is not necessary that all parties may do it too,” he said.