Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress's first list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections will have 60 names. The party plans to have 10 more candidates in its first list in addition to the 50 names finalised in Delhi. The first list of candidates will be announced within 24 hours of the Election Commission notifying the poll schedule.

It has now become clear that the Congress will field its candidates in 85 to 90 seats. In the 2021 election, the Congress party had 93 candidates.

The Indian Union Muslim League's seats will remain unchanged at 27. Of its total seats, 25 candidates will be contesting under the party symbol, while two others will be common Independent candidates.

Congress has yet to finalise its candidates in constituencies in Kottayam, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram districts. Candidates for Kottayam and Idukki will be finalised only after reaching a seat-sharing agreement with Kerala Congress (Joseph).

The Congress leadership is moving cautiously since there are multiple aspirants for seats in Thiruvananthapuram. It feels that the party should field candidates who could successfully overcome triangular contests in the district. The leadership will convene a meeting to finalise candidates after the conclusion of Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan's 'Puthuyuga Yatra', an ongoing campaign rally.

Three in the race in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram: Though Communist Marxist Party (CMP) leader C.P. John has an upper hand in Thiruvananthapuram, former minister V.S. Shivakumar and former MLA and current corporation counsellor K.S. Sabarinath, too, are vying for the constituency.

If John could not be fielded in Thiruvananthapuram, the UDF might offer him the Muslim League's Thiruvambady in Kozhikode. Instead of Thiruvambady, the League would be given Pattambi or Thavanur.

The Congress has decided to take over Kongad from the Muslim League. The League would be offered Chelakkara. K.A. Thulasi will be the candidate in Kongad.

Cong to take over Nenmara
The Communist Marxist Party (CMP) will give up Nenmara, where Palakkad District Congress Committee president A. Thankappan is likely to be the UDF candidate. The former president of the Kerala Gazetted Officers' Union (KGOU), KC Subramanian, is likely to contest from Tharoor.

The Congress party is divided on fielding A. Suresh, former personal assistant to the late Marxist leader VS Achuthanandan, in Malampuzha. The local leadership has opined that it would be suicidal for the party not to field an official Congress candidate.

Meanwhile, it has been rumoured that P.K. Sasi, currently in loggerheads with the CPM, might contest from Ottapalam as a UDF Independent. Sasi is likely to reveal his plan at a convention of LDF rebels scheduled for Thursday, March 5, in Palakkad.