The CPI-M, a constituent of the ruling Left Front in Kerala, on Tuesday announced its candidates for 15 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala including the names of former ministers K K Shailaja and TM Thomas Isaac.
The CPI, the second largest group in the Left Front, announced its four candidates for the Lok Sabha seats on Monday. Kerala Congress (MO), another constituent in the Left Front, announced its candidate for Kottayam constituency earlier.
CPI-M state secretary M V Govindan announced the names of the candidates at a press conference here. He exuded confidence that the Left Front candidates would win all 20 seats. Govindan said the Rahul Gandhi factor, which had helped the Congress party to win a substantial number of seats in the 2019 polls, is not here this time.
As per the list, former Health Minister KK Shylaja will contest from Vatakara constituency, while in Patahanamthitta, former minister Thomas Issac will try his luck.
Actor-turned MLA M Mukesh has been nominated from Kollam seat, currently held by senior parliamentarian and RSP leader N K Premachandran, while V Joy, MLA will vie for Attingal seat.
Sitting MP A M Arif will seek re-election from Alappuzha seat, while trade union leader and Rajya Sabha member Elamaram Kareem will enter the electoral fray from Kozhikode. Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan will contest from Alathur.
Other candidates include former MP Joyce George for Idukki, K J Shine for Ernakulam, former minister C Raveendranath for Chalakudy, CPI-M politburo member A Vijayaraghavan for Palakkad, DYFI leader V Vaseef for Malappuram, K S Hamsa for Ponnani, party’s Kannur district secretary M V Jayarajan for Kannur, and senior leader M V Balakrishnan for Kasaragod.