Congress to contest from 91 seats in Kerala; final list by Sunday

With barely 26 days to go for Kerala Assembly elections, the final list for Congress, which was expected to be declared on Friday, has been again postponed with the party announcing that 81 candidates have been finalised, out of the 91 seats it will be contesting.

This comes at a time when the constituent partners of Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have gone ahead and declared their candidates. The Congress is expected to announce its final list by Sunday.

In 2016, Assembly polls out of 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala Congress had contested on 87 seats. Though the list of candidates is yet to be announced, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala told that the party finalised 81 candidates out of 91 seats it is expecting to contest.

Even as the list of Congress candidates getting delayed the main constituent partners in Congress-led United Democratic Alliance (UDF), Indian Union Muslim League ( IUML) announced its candidates on Friday.

While the Muslim League will contesting on 27 seats, Kerala Congress, the splinter group headed by PJ Joseph having prominence in Christian dominated Kottayam-Idukki belt will be contesting on 10 seats.

These include Iringalakuda, Kothamangalam, Thodupuzha, Idukki, Kaduthuruthy, Ettumanoor, Changanassery, Kuttanad, Thiruvalla and Thrikkarippur.

Five seats have been given to the Revolutionary Socialist Party ( RSP) of which Shibu Baby John will be contesting from Chavara. Other seats that the RSP will be contesting are Mattannur, Kunnathoor, Eravipuram and Attingal.

The M C Kappan-led faction that broke away from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), ahead of assembly polls has been given two seats, Elathur and Pala. Kappan who split with LDF after he was not given Pala seat, will be facing Jose K M of of KC(M) now part of LDF in Pala.

While Congress has given Malampuzha in Palakkad district to Janata Dal, CMP will be contesting in Nenmara.

The Kerala Congress (Jacob) led by Anoop Jacob son of late TM Jacob has been given Piravom.

The Vadakara seat is being left vacant for Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader KK Rema, wife of slain party founder T P Chandrasekharan. But RMP, it is learned, is keen to field N Venu. If Rema contests in RMP, the UDF will be supporting her. A final decision is expected on Sunday.

( With inputs from ANI )