Pinarayi Vijayan to lead LDF campaign in Kerala Assembly Polls, CPM candidate list by 1st week of March: MA Baby

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lead the Left Democratic Front (LDF) campaign in Kerala in the upcoming Assembly elections, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) MA Baby said on Friday.

Speaking to the media after a Polit Bureau (PB) meeting, Baby said the party's candidate list would be announced in the first week of March. However, he declined to comment on whether any other PB or Central Committee (CC) members would be in the fray. "All these questions will be answered in the first week of March," he said.

Baby maintained that the CPM does not project a Chief Ministerial candidate. He also refrained from confirming whether Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would contest from Dharmadom in Kannur for a third consecutive term. "The list of candidates, including ministers and sitting MLAs, and whether the incumbent Chief Minister will contest, will be known in the first week of March," he said.

He added that the candidate list would reflect a balance of youth and experience and ensure representation from all sections of society. "There should be youth, seasoned leaders, women and members from marginalised sections. We will ensure that," he said.

On whether certain leaders could be exempted from the party's two-term norm, Baby indicated that exceptions were possible. "We do not prefer the same comrade contesting continuously. But in some constituencies, for various reasons, if there is a need to field the same candidate, we will consider it," he said, adding that the party is guided by consistent principles.

Baby also said the CPM is prepared to take on what he described as "fascistic forces" in the country, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).