The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday announced the list of 83 candidates out of 85 seats in it is contesting in the upcoming Assembly polls in Kerala.
Five ministers of the Kerala Government and 33 sitting MLAs of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) will not be in the fray.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor and acting CPI-M state secretary A Vijayaraghavan said, "Out of 83 candidates 74 candidates are contesting in party symbols, nine candidates are CPI-M supported independent candidates."
"With regard to two seats Manjeshwaram and Devikulam we will announce the names later," he said adding that the decision is due to a large per cent of linguistic minorities and Tamil migrant workers in these constituencies respectively.
Vijayaraghavan said, "As the lone candidate from Kerala to the Pondicherry Legislative Assembly, CPI-M is going to support N Haridas who is to contest as an independent from Mahi Constituency."
He also said that the Students Federation of India (SFI) All India President VP Sanu will contest as CPI-M candidate in the Lok Sabha by-election of Malappuram constituency.
"With regard to the age factor, we have 4 candidates below 30 years, 8 candidates below 40 years, 8 candidates between 30 and 40 years, 13 candidates between 41 and 50 years, 33 candidates between 51 and 60 years and 24 candidates above 60 years," he said.
"Five ministers and 33 sitting MLAs of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government will not contest the upcoming polls," he further said.
CPI(M) heavyweights Industries Minister EP Jayarajan, Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac, Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran, Law Minister AK Balan and Education Minister C Raveendranath will not be in the fray.
"For CPI-M work in the legislature and work among the masses are equally important. A new section of leaders should be there in there in the Assembly and in Loksabha to express properly the ideology and principles of the Left front," he explained the decision.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will contest from the Dharmadam constituency in the Kannur district. KK Shailaja will contest from Mattannur constituency in Kannur district.
Other ministers who will be contesting are J Mercykutty from Kundara in Kollam district, MM M from Udampanchola in Idukki, Kadakampally Surendran from Kazakuttam in Thiruvananthapuram and CPI-M supported independent K T Jaleel from Thavanoor in Malappuram.
Meanwhile, posters had earlier appeared in Alappuzha urging Sudhakaran and Thomas Isaac to contest polls, both leaders distanced themselves from it and toed the party line.
Protests were held in Ponn in Malappuram and Kuttiady in Kozhikode over candidate selection.
The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly in 14 districts will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will be held on May 2.
( With inputs from ANI )
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