News Brief
'Contest From Hindi Belt': CPIM To Rahul Gandhi After Announcing Lok Sabha Candidate In Wayanad
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Wayanad Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi. (Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) has unveiled its candidates for 15 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala, signaling a move aimed at securing a substantial number of seats in the upcoming elections.
Led by the CPM, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) currently rules the southern state, having secured just one seat, Alappuzha, in the 2019 general elections.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) has nominated Annie Raja, the wife of the party’s general secretary D Raja, as its candidate from Wayanad.
The move comes as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is pushing for an additional seat, aiming to contest from Wayanad due to its significant Muslim voter base.
Speaking on the significance of the announcement, CPM's state secretary MV Govindan downplayed the impact of the Rahul Gandhi factor.
Govindan asserted that Kerala no longer sees the Wayanad MP as a viable candidate for Prime Minister.
Regarding Rahul Gandhi's potential candidacy from Wayanad again, Govindan stated that the decision ultimately lies with the respective parties, reported Times of India.
However, he suggested that if the objective is to defeat the BJP, Rahul should contest from constituencies in the Hindi belt.
"There is no need to come to Kerala... because BJP is not going to win a single seat in the state," he remarked.
Among the notable candidates fielded by the CPM are former ministers K K Shailaja (Vadakara), TM Thomas Isaac (Pathanamthitta), C Raveendranath (Chalakudy), and minister K Radhakrishnan (Alathur).
The party also nominated politburo member A Vijayaraghavan (Palakkad), Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem (Kozhikode), and MP AM Arif (Alappuzha).
Additionally, district secretaries and prominent leaders from various regions have also been included in the lineup.
Meanwhile, as per media reports, Gandhi will contest from two constituencies one from either Karnataka or Telangana and one from Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
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