Thiruvananthapuram, February 21: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has commenced preparations for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. On Saturday, the party held a meeting of its 17-member state secretariat.
During this meeting, the first list of potential candidates is expected to be discussed. This gathering marks the initial phase of the party’s internal selection process for the upcoming elections.
According to the party, the secretariat will first determine which of its members will contest in the elections. Once this decision is made, the proposed names will be sent to the relevant district committees for approval. After receiving district-level consent, the list will be returned to the state leadership for finalization.
The secretariat includes Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and five state ministers: P.A. Mohammed Riyas, Saji Cheriyan, K.N. Balagopal, P. Rajeev, and V.N. Vasavan. Other prominent members include State Secretary M.V. Govindan, former Health Minister K.K. Shailaja, and Left Democratic Front convenor T.P. Ramakrishnan.
All members currently serve as legislators. Senior leaders Thomas Isaac, E.P. Jayarajan, M.V. Jayarajan, M. Swaraj, K.K. Jayachandran, Puthalathu Dinesh, P.K. Biju, and C.N. Mohanan are also part of this panel. Additionally, names like C.S. Sujata, K.S. Salikha, and P. Sathi Devi from the central committee may also be considered. It remains to be seen if veteran leaders P.K. Srimathi and Elamaram Kareem will secure a spot in this panel.
The CPI(M) is striving for a third consecutive term in power, but following a significant defeat in the local body elections in December, the leadership is exercising caution. In these elections, the party lost its grip on several traditional strongholds.
Currently, the party governs only one of the six corporations in the state, a sharp decline from five corporations it controlled after the 2020 local body elections. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the CPI(M) contested 75 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly and won 62.
– Satyam Dubey/VC
