T’puram: Close on the heels of CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam announcing the party candidates right after the Election Commission announced assembly elections in Kerala on Apr 9, CPM also named its candidates on Sunday evening without wasting much time. Soon after the announcement, many CPM candidates took to the streets, organized rallies and began campaigning on Sunday itself.CPM state secretary M V Govindan released the list of candidates and said CPM will contest in 86 constituencies, of which 75 will be party candidates. The party named 81 candidates, including six CPM-backed independents and 10 women. The party state secretary also added that independent candidates in five constituencies – Koduvally, Kottakkal, Palakkad, Kondotty and Tirur – will be named later.Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will contest from Dharmadom. Eleven of his cabinet colleagues and 54 sitting MLAs will also contest again this time. Govindan also said the candidate for Thiruvananthapuram Central will be decided after the court gives its verdict on the case against MLA Antony Raju on Monday. Party-backed independent T Ashok Kumar will contest from Mahe in Puducherry, he added.The ministers who will be contesting this time are Mohamed Riyas (Beypore), V Sivankutty (Nemom), M B Rajesh (Trithala), P Rajeeve (Kalamassery), V N Vasavan (Ettumanoor), Saji Cherian (Chengannur), O R Kelu (Mananthavady), R Bindu (Irinjalakuda), Veena George (Aranmula) and K N Balagopal (Kottarakara).In addition to Bindu and George, the other women candidates in the CPM list are K K Shailaja (Peravoor), Govindan’s wife P K Shyamala (Taliparamba), K Santhakumari (Kongad), M B Shiny (Vypeen), Pushpa Das (Thrikkakara), Daleema Jojo (Aroor), U Prathibha (Kayamkulam) and O S Ambika (Attingal).Govindan said speaker A N Shamseer and Udumbanchola MLA M M Mani are not contesting this time and K K Jayachandran will contest from Udumbanchola. He also said the candidates were selected in the most-democratic manner and that the party had decided that only one politburo member (Vijayan) should contest.Govindan said that his party is confident that LDF will win assembly polls for the third consecutive time and that this is crucial to the efforts to set up a Nava Keralam and oppose communal forces.Govt was able to provide a peaceful life to the people over the past 10 years and the state achieved many milestones such as progress in health and education, attracting four lakh entrepreneurs in five years, GAIL pipeline, Vizhinjam Port, NH works, coastal highway and hill highway projects, he added.The party state secretary also said that the state recruited the greatest number of people through the public service commission. Govindan later launched the campaign roadshow of Vattiyoorkavu candidate V K Prasanth at AKG Centre.
