KOZHIKODE: The Kerala unit of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced its candidates for three assembly constituencies, setting the stage for the upcoming polls even as dissent brews within the party.
State president M V Sreyams Kumar said P K Praveen will contest from Koothuparamba in Kannur, M K Bhaskaran from Vadakara in Kozhikode, and P K Anilkumar from Kalpetta in Wayanad. The announcement has, however, triggered criticism from a section of the leadership.
Soon after the list was released, state general secretary Sabah Pulppatta publicly objected to the decision to field candidates in three constituencies, alleging lack of wider consultation.
In a swift move, the leadership removed him from the post, further escalating the situation. Pulppatta is expected to announce his next course of action, with several leaders and grassroots workers reportedly backing his stand.
The Malappuram district committee has also expressed disagreement with the disciplinary action. In Kalpetta, Anilkumar has been fielded after Sreyams Kumar opted out of the contest. A former Congress leader in Wayanad, Anilkumar joined the RJD a few years ago and hails from a politically active family.
Praveen brings experience in local governance, having served in municipal and panchayat roles in Panoor, while Bhaskaran is the current Kozhikode district president of the party.
In the last assembly election, it won only the Koothuparamba seat, where K P Mohanan emerged victorious, while Sreyams Kumar lost in Kalpetta despite earlier success there.
RMPI to field Rema again in Vadakara
Kozhikode: The Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI), a regional political force with influence in parts of Malabar and an ally of the Congress-led UDF, has announced its candidate for Vadakara, setting the tone for an aggressive campaign in the run-up to the assembly elections. Addressing reporters, RMPI state secretary N Venu confirmed that sitting MLA K K Rema will once again enter the fray from Vadakara. He expressed confidence that the UDF would stand firmly behind her candidature, as it had in the previous election, reinforcing the alliance’s cohesion in the region.