THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPI will have two Rajya Sabha MPs from the state after a gap of 11 years. The LDF meeting on Tuesday decided to give one seat each to CPM and CPI.The CPI announced Kannur district secretary P Santhosh Kumar, 51, as its candidate for the elections to be held on March 31.V P Sanu, AA Rahim or Chintha Jerome will enter the fray if the CPM decides to go for a young candidate. The names of senior leaders Thomas Isaac and A Vijayaraghavan too are doing the rounds.
Three seats from the state will fall vacant, with the terms of senior Congress leader A K Antony, and LDF’s M V Shreyamskumar and K Somaparasad ending on April 2. Of them the LDF is poised to win two and the UDF one.LDF constituents NCP, JDS and LJD too had staked claim for a seat, but CM Pinarayi Vijayan insisted on CPI and CPM contesting considering the political scenario at the national level.
“CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan announced the decision at the LDF meeting. NCP and some other parties suggested that one seat could be shared between two parties for three years each, but it was not accepted,” said a source.
A CPI state council member, Santhosh had served as AIYF national president and general secretary. In 2011, he contested from the Irikkoor assembly seat but lost. Known to be close confidant of state secretary Kanam Rajendran, he is one of the CPI’s prominent faces in north Kerala. The party wanted a leader from Malabar to go to Rajya Sabha this time around.