NCP fields Saseendran again amid party rift; Thomas K Thomas to contest from Kuttanad
A K Saseendran has a strong electoral record in Elathur, winning by significant margins in recent elections, even amidst internal party resistance.
A K Saseendran has a strong electoral record in Elathur, winning by significant margins in recent elections, even amidst internal party resistance.
A K Saseendran has a strong electoral record in Elathur, winning by significant margins in recent elections, even amidst internal party resistance.
Kozhikode: The Central Parliamentary Board of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday announced its candidates for three Assembly constituencies in Kerala, deciding to field sitting MLAs A K Saseendran and Thomas K Thomas again, while selecting K T Mujeeb to contest from Malappuram.
Saseendran, currently the Minister for Forest and Wildlife, will contest as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate from Elathur for the third consecutive time. The decision comes despite strong opposition within the party and has triggered a rift in the Kozhikode district unit of the NCP.
The Kozhikode district committee had earlier recommended district secretary Mukkam Muhammed as the party’s candidate for Elathur instead of Saseendran. A resolution in this regard was also adopted at the district-level election committee meeting.
The recommendation came despite the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) state leadership’s preference to back Saseendran again as the LDF candidate. However, Saseendran conveyed to the party leadership his interest in contesting again from Elathur, with the CPM reiterating its support for his candidature.
Following the party’s formal decision to field Saseendran again, the district committee is scheduled to convene a leadership meeting on Monday evening to discuss the future course of action. District leaders are unhappy with the move and are likely to convey their concerns to the LDF’s district leadership.
Electorally, Saseendran has maintained a strong record in Elathur. He won the seat in 2021 with a margin of over 38,000 votes, in 2016 by 28,937 votes and in 2011 by 14,654 votes, reflecting his growing electoral strength despite internal resistance within the party.
He had earlier represented Peringalam (1980–1982), Edakkad (1982–1987) and Balussery (2006–2011) in the Assembly. Meanwhile, Thomas K Thomas will contest from Kuttanad for the second consecutive time. In the 2021 Assembly election, he defeated Jacob Abraham of the Kerala Congress by a margin of 5,516 votes.