Kerala's political fronts getting ready for three key by-elections

Thiruvananthapuram: After indications that the Election Commission is getting ready to shortly to decide the dates for bypolls to two Assembly constituencies and the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, the three political fronts in Kerala are busy finalising their candidates.

The Assembly by-elections at Palakkad and Chelakkara were necessitated after sitting legislators Shafi Paramabil (Congress) and K. Radhakrishnan (CPI-M), respectively, vacated the seats after winning the Lok Sabha polls.

In Wayanad, the bypolls fell due to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi deciding to vacate the seat and retain the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, and the Congress has already announced his sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the candidate.

The CPI-M is expected to name their candidates for the two Assembly constituencies next week, while the Congress is also in the process.

Likewise, the BJP is also busy searching for an apt candidate, especially at Palakkad, where in the 2021 Assembly polls, their candidate 'Metroman' E.Sreedharan gave a fright to Parambil before losing by less than 4,000 votes.

At the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, which Rahul Gandhi won by a decreased amount as compared to his over 4.60 lakh margin in 2019, though the victory of Priyanka Gandhi seems certain, the only thing that remains to be seen is if she will she better her brother's margin.

The CPI- the second biggest constituent of the ruling Left in Kerala, will soon name their candidate, and so will the BJP. But, CPI's Annie Raja - the wife of party national Secretary D. Raja, and with BJP state President K. Surendran finishing second and a distant third at the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, respectively, it is unlikely that they will contest again and their parties will hunt for new faces.

For the Pinarayi Vijayan government, presently caught in a bind over a string of controversies, failure to retain the Chelakkara Assembly seat will hang heavy. The bad news for them is the Congress is most likely to field former Lok Sabha member Remya Haridas, who failed to retain her sitting Alathur Lok Sabha seat, though she had been way ahead in votes polled in the Chelakkara Assembly segment, which comes under it.

What has put the CPI-M in a spot of bother is the Chelakkara Assembly seat is a reserved constituency and they are burning the midnight oil to find the most suitable replacement for Radhakrishnan.

Meanwhile, at Palakkad, the BJP appears to have almost come down to two names - firebrand leader Sobha Surendran and local leader Krishna Kumar, while it remains to be seen if Surendran will be a surprise choice.

The CPI-M, which finished third, is also searching hard and one of its firebrand former legislators M.Swaraj who lost his seat in Ernakulam district at the 2021 Assembly polls appears to have a good chance to test the waters at Palakkad.

Meanwhile, the Congress is looking at its two-time former legislator and youth leader V.T. Balram and present Youth Congress President Rahul Mangkootathil.