Thiruvananthapuram: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which heads the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, is gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with heightened attention. The final list of candidates is likely to released on February 27, party sources said.

A CPM meeting to discuss the candidate names was attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, state CPI-M Secretary MV Govindan, and politburo members MA Baby and A Vijayaraghavan. Names considered for candidacy are likely ones that have significant influence and the capacity to pull votes, indicating that the party is looking to overcome its 2019 Lok Sabha performance where it secured only one seat.

Out of the 20 seats, the CPM will contest in 15 seats, the CPI in four and the Kerala Congress (M) in one. Soon after the morning meeting of the party leadership the meeting of the state secretariat also took place.

According to sources, at the first meeting the names of likely candidates from each of the 14 districts that were discussed included giants like former state ministers Thomas Isaac, KK Shailaja, AK Balan, PK Sreemathi, sitting legislators Kadakampally Surendran, V Joy, M Noushad, actor-turned-legislator Mukesh and former legislators A Pradeep Kumar, Raju Abraham, Aiysha Potti, M Swaraj, TV Rajesh and Rajya Sabha member Elamaram Kareem.

The names of youth leader Wasif and politburo member Vijayaraghavan were also discussed.

The other probable candidates being mulled include wives of top CPM leaders that included Dr PK Jameela (wife of AK Balan) Sukanya (wife of James Mathew, a former party legislator).

The name of Rekha Thomas, daughter of veteran Congress leader and former state and Union Minister KV Thomas who left the grand old party, was also considered for the Ernakulam seat.

According to CPI-M sources, once the list of probables is finalised, it is sent to the respective district party committees who mull it over and send recommendations back to the top party committee, which gives the final clearance.
(With IANS inputs.)