Kerala’s political landscape is heating up with assembly polls on the horizon, and the LDF is recalibrating its strategy. The CPI dropped a bombshell by denying tickets to six long-serving MLAs, prioritizing renewal over incumbency.
Those missing out include high-profile names like Deputy Speaker Chittayam Gopakumar and former minister E. Chandrashekaran, alongside PS Supal, EK Vijayan, V. Shashi, and ES Jyalal. This rotational policy, ratified in a leadership huddle, aims to keep the party’s edge sharp after clinching 17 of 23 seats in 2021.
Seat allocation talks are in full swing, with CPI(M) at the helm. Kerala Congress (M) isn’t holding back, with leader Jose K. Mani pushing for 13 seats this time, up from 12 previously.
Anticipation builds for CPI(M)’s candidate list approval on Tuesday, drawn from district inputs. Speculation points to exclusions of heavyweights such as Thomas Isaac, MM Mani, P. Jayarajan, M. Swaraj, and A. Vijayaraghavan.
MM Mani brushed off exclusion talks, attributing his focus to party duties and downplaying diabetes as a factor— a condition he shares with peers like KK Jayachandran, cleared by his district unit.
Questions persist on former health minister KK Shailaja’s prospects, amid hints of CM Pinarayi Vijayan orchestrating a blockbuster face-off with Congress’s Sunny Joseph. With Vijayan cleared to spearhead the campaign at 80, LDF leaders will tomorrow navigate the tightrope between loyalty to stalwarts and the need for new faces.
This evolving equation could redefine power plays in the 140-seat assembly, where CPI(M) dominated with 62 wins from 75 contests last time. Stakeholders watch closely as alliances solidify.