The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday announced candidates for four Assembly constituencies in Kollam district as part of its preparations for the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly election.
Out of the 11 Assembly constituencies in the district, the CPI will contest from Chathanoor, Karunagapally, Chadayamangalam and Punalur. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the party had won three of these seats—Chathanoor, Chadayamangalam and Punalur—while Karunagapally was secured by the United Democratic Front.
The party has nominated R Rajendran from Chathanoor, replacing sitting MLA GS Jayalal. In Chadayamangalam, the CPI has retained J Chinchurani, who is currently serving as a minister in the state government. For Karunagapally, the party has fielded MS Thara, while C Ajayaprasad will contest from Punalur, replacing sitting MLA PS Supal.
Except for Chadayamangalam, the CPI has denied tickets to its sitting MLAs in the other two constituencies it had won in the 2021 elections. Party sources indicated that the remaining candidates for other constituencies are expected to be announced later on Monday.
Earlier, as the CPI moved to finalise its candidate list, it decided to drop six sitting MLAs. The decision was taken in line with the party’s policy of limiting legislators to two terms. However, E Chandrasekharan (Kanhangad), EK Vijayan (Nadapuram), Chittayam Gopakumar (Adoor), GS Jayalal (Chathannoor), PS Supal (Punalur) and V Sasi (Chirayinkeezhu) had earlier been granted exceptions that allowed them to contest for a third term.
This time, the party’s state executive has taken a stricter stand on enforcing the tenure rule, stating that exemptions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances and must be justified by district committees.
If the rule is applied strictly, MLAs CK Asha (Vaikom) and P Balachandran (Thrissur), both of whom have completed two terms, could also be dropped from the candidate list. The move is expected to create opportunities for new faces within the party. According to sources, several seats may be allotted to representatives from youth and women’s organisations. A directive from the party leadership has also called for women candidates in at least three constituencies.
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