KOCHI : The CPM has homed in on a surprise pick to take on Congress’ incumbent MP Hibi Eden in Ernakulam, a UDF fortress, in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Interestingly, the name of K J Shine – a state committee member of the Kerala State Teachers’ Association, the teachers’ union of the CPM – had not figured in the earlier discussions. Speculation was that the CPM was looking for an independent candidate, with Rekha Thomas – the daughter of former Congress MP K V Thomas – among the prominent names.
The 52-year-old Shine was elected to the North Paravoor municipality for a third consecutive term in the 2020 polls. Representing ward 12, Santhi Nagar, Shine is a member of the CPM’s Paravoor Town East local committee.
Of the Lok Sabha constituency’s seven assembly segments – Kalamassery, North Paravoor, Kochi, Vypeen, Tripunithura, Thrikkakara, and Ernakulam – the LDF won three in the 2021 assembly polls.
The Congress is expected to field Hibi again. The region’s significant Christian population, largely dominated by Latin Catholics, influences the electoral dynamics, making it a stronghold of the Congress. However, the Left is expected to strive for an improved show compared to the 2019 elections, setting the stage for a strong contest between the Left and the Congress.
The name of Shine came up in the state committee meeting based on her influence in the Paravoor region, sources said, adding that an official announcement of the candidate for the seat would be made only on February 26.
Significantly, LDF’s likely candidate comes from the assembly constituency represented by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. In the past, the CPM has fielded independent candidates, including Sebastian Paul and former bureaucrat Christy Fernandez, in the constituency.
However, the party ended that experiment in the 2019 polls by fielding senior leader P Rajeeve. Hibi, who was then the Ernakulam MLA, defeated Rajeeve by a record margin of 1,69,153 votes.