CPM to decide candidates for bypolls today

THIRUVANANTHPAURAM: The LDF state leadership and the CPM secretariat will meet here on Tuesday to finalise the candidates for the five assembly constituencies which are going to polls on October 23.

The district secretariat of the CPM and district leadership of the other constituent parties have formalised their opinion on the probable candidates. The names will come up for discussions at the LDF leadership meeting.

In Vattiyoorkavu, the list of probables include Thiruvananthapuram mayor V.K. Prasanth, district panchayat president V.K. Madhu and DYFI leader K.R. Sunil Kumar.

In Aroor, the party is considering J. Chitranajan and C.B. Chandrababu.With SNDP general secretary Vellapally Natesan batting for a non Muslim candidate in Aroor, the LDF is unlikely to field CPM district secretary R. Nazar.

Sources said the CPM is considering an independent candidate belonging to Latin Catholic community in Ernakulam.  

M.S. Rajendran  and K.U. Jenish Kumar are the front runners for Konni constituency while K.R. Jayananda and C.H. Kunhambu are on the list from Manjeshwaram.

These names will be discussed at the LDF meeting. Subsequently the constituent parties in the front will hold separate meetings and finalise the candidates. Since most of the seats were contested by the CPM in last Assembly elections, the party secretariat will take a call on the candidates.

 Of the five constituencies which are going to polls, the LDF had won only Aroor in 2016 Assembly elections. However, the LDF state leadership is confident of improving its tally. “There is a possibility of winning more seats,” said LDF convenor A. Vijayaraghavan. “The UDF is facing serious internal problems. The Kerala Congress (Mani) is a divided house. The corruption unearthed by vigilance points finger towards a former minister and the corrupt practices of previous Oommen Chandy government are out in the open.  All these factors are going to help us.”

 Moreover, the LDF says the arrest of P. Chidambaram has also brought the Congress under the scanner at the national level.

The LDF camp believes that the ground situation is not at all hostile against the ruling front as it was during the Lok Sabha polls. During the Lok Sabha polls all anti- Marxists forces were united by the UDF. Rahul Gandhi’s entry into electoral fray from Wayanad made a huge difference as he was projected as prime minister. All these factors hugely benefited the UDF which was reflected in the poll results, and that situation has changed now.