Thiruvananthapuram, March 15 – The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Sunday announced its list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala, fielding 75 nominees, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and nine members of his Cabinet.
Shortly after the election schedule was made public, party state Secretary M. V. Govindan said that the candidates include 56 sitting legislators, reflecting the party's decision to largely retain its experienced leadership while entering another crucial electoral contest.
He also stated that the party has decided to field independent candidates in six constituencies as part of its broader electoral understanding within the Left Democratic Front.
The candidates for the remaining five constituencies will be announced shortly, he added.
The list includes all nine Cabinet ministers of the Left government, among them Tourism Minister P. A. Mohammed Riyas, who is also Vijayan's son-in-law.
The announcement came soon after the Election Commission declared that polling for all 140 Assembly constituencies in the State will be held on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
Even as the party unveiled its candidate slate, campaign activity gathered momentum across the State.
Within an hour of the poll schedule being announced, General Education Minister V. Sivankutty hit the campaign trail in the State capital, launching a road show in his constituency.
"I have been with my people all these years, and now I am just starting to meet them again. Victory is certain, and we are going to return for a third straight term," he said.
The Nemom constituency in Thiruvananthapuram is expected to witness a keen contest, with Sivankutty set to take on Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the state President of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Nemom holds particular significance in Kerala's political landscape.
It was the only Assembly constituency won by the BJP in the State when veteran leader O. Rajagopal scripted history in the 2016 Assembly elections.
However, Sivankutty wrested the seat back for the Left Front in the 2021 polls, and the constituency is once again shaping up to be a closely watched electoral battleground.