Thiruvananthapuram,12 March (H.S.):The Indian National Congress has approved its first list of 31 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, with the party largely opting to retain its sitting MLAs in their respective constituencies. The official announcement of the list is expected only after the Election Commission formally declares the election schedule.

The decision was taken by the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) during a meeting in New Delhi chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by senior leader Rahul Gandhi. The meeting was also attended by key leaders from Kerala, including Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan and KPCC president Sunny Joseph.

According to party sources, all sitting MLAs have been given tickets in the initial list except in two constituencies. In Palakkad, the seat is currently represented by Rahul Mamkootathil, who is no longer with the Congress, while in Thrippunithura, former minister K Babu had stepped down earlier, leaving the seat open for a new candidate.

Despite speculation over the candidature of Eldhose Kunnappilly from Perumbavoor, the CEC approved his name in the list cleared on Wednesday. However, the committee has directed that survey reports and letters received by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) regarding his candidature be examined once again before the final announcement.

The list includes several prominent leaders and former legislators. Among those cleared by the CEC are K Muraleedharan (Vattiyoorkavu), V T Balram (Thrithala), T N Prathapan (Manalur), V P Sajeendran (Kunnathunad), Bindu Krishna (Kollam), K Praveen Kumar (Koyilandy), O J Janeesh (Kodungallur), K C Subrahmanyan (Tarur), K P Naushad Ali (Ponnani), Sumesh Achuthan (Chittur) and Aisha Potty (Kottarakkara). The name of I C Balakrishnan has also been cleared for Sulthan Bathery.

The CEC reviewed a total of 51 names in two separate files during the meeting. Approval was granted for 31 candidates in the first file, while the remaining constituencies will be reviewed in the next round of discussions. Among the remaining 20 constituencies, nine currently have only a single name under consideration.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that C P John of the CMP will contest from Thiruvananthapuram as the candidate of the United Democratic Front (UDF). The Congress has already informed the CMP leadership about the decision, though a section of party leaders in the district has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over allotting the traditional Congress seat to its ally.

Seat-sharing negotiations within the UDF are still ongoing, particularly between the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League. As part of the discussions, Thiruvambady and Kongad are expected to go to the Congress, while possible seat swaps involving Nadapuram and Perambra, as well as Koothuparamba and Taliparamba, are also under consideration.

The Congress high command has also taken a firm stand that sitting MPs will not be allowed to contest the Assembly elections, making it clear that organisational general secretary K C Venugopal will not enter the fray.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman