Kottayam (Kerala), March 16 Kerala Congress (Mani) announced on Monday that party chairman Jose K Mani will contest the election from the Pala constituency here, effectively ending all speculation.
The Kerala Congress (M), an ally of the LDF, has announced candidates for 12 seats in the upcoming April 9 election.
Jose K Mani, a Rajya Sabha member, will be contesting against UDF leader and incumbent MLA Mani C Kappan and BJP leader Shaun George, making it a closely contested election.
Besides, the Kerala Congress (M) has retained all its MLAs, including Roshy Augustine in Idukki, N Jayaraj in Kanjirappally, Job Michael in Changanassery, Sebastian Kulathunkal in Poonjar, and Pramod Narayan in Ranni.
A notable addition to the list is Biju Chirayath, a Congress councillor, who will be contesting for the LDF alliance in Chalakudy.
Chirayath resigned from the Congress on Monday, just hours before the announcement of candidates.
Other candidates include Cyriac Chazhikadan in Thodupuzha, Sabu K Jacob in Piravom, Mathew Kunnapilly in Irikkur, Nirmala Jimmy in Kaduthuruthy, and Basil Paul in Perumbavoor.
Jose K Mani had faced defeat when he contested against Kappan in the 2021 Assembly election.
His candidature is considered crucial for the party, which suffered a significant setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and the 2025 local body elections.