Forty-eight hours after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Kerala assembly elections, the Congress party on Tuesday announced its candidates for 55 seats.
About the candidacy of deputies
All India Congress Committee (Organization) General Secretary KC Venugopal announced the list in the evening after several hours of hectic negotiations, especially on the demands of some sitting MPs who expressed their desire to contest.
Notably, the party has not yet named candidates for the Kannur and Konni seats for which MPs K. Sudhakaran and Adoor Prakash have raised demands. Mr Venugopal said the party would take a decision on the MPs who wanted to contest later.
The initial list announced by the Congress, which is expected to contest several more than the 93 seats it contested in 2021, includes 20 sitting MLAs.
A key competitor
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan from Paravur constituency, former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala from Haripad, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph from Peravur, former MP K Muraleedharan from Vattiyurkavu, former MP TN Prathapan from Manalur, T Siddique from Kalpetomovalata and Put.
Other incumbent MLAs contesting include Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Sajeev Joseph, IC Balakrishnan, Aryadan Shoukath, AP Anil Kumar, Saneesh Kumar Joseph, Roji M. John, Anwar Sadath, TJ Vinod, Uma Thomas, Vice President Sajeendran, Mathew CR Kuzhalnash and PC. Former MLA VT Balram, who lost in Thrithala in 2021, was re-elected from the constituency. New prominent faces include Youth Congress president OJ Janeesh, who will contest from Kodungalloor.
A. Suresh, personal assistant to former Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leader VS Achuthanandana, has been deployed from Malampuzha. Mr. Suresh formally joined the Congress party on Tuesday after accusing the CPI(M) of losing its ideological character. Former CPI(M) MLA P. Aisha Potty, who joined the Congress a few weeks ago, was fielded from Kottarakar, which she represented for three consecutive terms.
Actor Ramesh Pisharody was fielded from the Palakkad constituency, which was earlier won by Rahul Mamkootathil, who was suspended from the Congress party following rape allegations.
Former MP Ramya Haridas was fielded from Chirayinkeezhu constituency despite strong protests against her candidature by a section of Congress workers in Thiruvananthapuram.
Complete list of candidates
Kannur
Irikkur — Sajeev Joseph
Dharmadam — Abdul Rasheed
Thalassery — KP Saju
Peravur — Sunny Joseph
Wayanad
Mananthavady — Usha Vijayan
Sultan Bathery — IC Balakrishnan
Kalpetta — T. Siddique
Kozhikode
Nadapuram — KM Abhijith
Koyilandy — K. Praveen Kumar
Balussery — VT Sun
Elathur — Vidhya Balakrishnan
Kozhikode North—K.Jayanth
Malappuram
Nilambur — Aryadan Shoukath
Wandoor — AP Anil Kumar
Tavanur — VS Joy
Ponnani — Noushad Ali
Palakkad
Thrithala — VT Balram
Kongad — KA Tulsi
Malampuzha — A. Suresh
Palakkad — Ramesh Pisharody
Tharoor — KC Subramanian
Chittur — Sumesh Achuthan
Nenmara —T. Thank you
Alathur — KN Febin
Thrissur
Manalur—TN Prathapan
Ollur — Shaji J. Kodankandath
Thrissur— Rajan J. Pallan
Nattika — Sunil Laloor
Kaipamangalam — TM Nazar
Puthukkad — KM Babu Raj
Chalakudy — Saneesh Kumar Joseph
Kodungalloor — OJ Janeesh
Ernakulam
Angamaly — Roji M. John
Aluva — Anwar Sadath
Paravur — VD Satheesan
Ernakulam — TJ Vinod
Thrikkakara — Uma Thomas
Kunnathunad — VP Sajeendran
Muvattupuzha — Mathew Kuzhalnadan
Kottayam
Vaikom — K. Binimon
Kottayam—Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan
Puthuppally — Chandy Oommen
Alappuzha
Morning — Shanimol Usman
Cherthala — KR Rajendra Prasad
Haripad — Ramesh Chennithala
Mavelikara — Muthara Raj
Kollam
Karunagappally — CR Mahesh
Kottarakara — P. Aisha potty
Pathanapuram — Jyothikumar Chamakkala
Kundara — PC Vishnunadh
Kollam — Bindhu Krishna
Chathannur — Sooraj Ravi
Thiruvananthapuram
Chirayinkeezhu — Ramya Haridas
Vattiyurkavu — K. Muraleedharan
Kovalam— M. Vincent
