Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI has finalised its candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at a meeting of its steering committee here on Monday. C Divakaran, MLA, will enter the fray from the prestigious Thiruvananthapuram constituency, whereas its lone sitting MP C N Jayadevan and state secretary Kanam Rajendran won't be contesting.
Chittayam Gopakumar would be the CPI candidate from the Mavelikkara constituency, whereas P P Suneer would be trying his luck in the Wayanad seat. Rajaji Mathew Thomas is the candidate chosen for the Thrissur seat which is currently held by Jayadevan.
Kanam's name was proposed for the Thiruvananthapuram seat, but he backed off citing hectic campaigning duties.
The party's national secretariat and council have to give the nod for the names chosen by the state leadership. These bodies are set to meet in New Delhi on March 5 and 6.
CPI is a constituent of the ruling LDF which is set to finalise the sharing of Lok Sabha seats in Kerala on Friday. Prior to that CPI(M), the biggest party in the LDF, is set to meet for three days, starting tomorrow.
Former minister Divakaran is a member of the CPI State Executive. Divakaran now represents the Nedumangad assembly constituency after winning in the 2016 contest. He had represented the Karunagappally assembly constituency earlier.
Suneer, another state executive member of the CPI, had lost to E Ahamed of the IUML in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from the Ponnani seat. (Ahamed garnered 3,54,051 votes against Suneer's 2,51,293 and secured a margin of 102,758 votes).
Gopakumar is a two-time MLA from the Adoor assembly constituency after registering wins in the 2011 and 2016 assembly elections. (Adoor is a reserved constituency for Scheduled Caste candidates.)
Rajaji, who has been chosen for the Thrissur seat, was the MLA from Ollur assembly constituency after winning in the 2006 polls. The incumbent Thrissur MP Jayadevan too had represented the Ollur seat during 1996-2011.