CPI goes by experience

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 25. The CPI list of candidates for the coming Assembly election suggests that the party has decided to go by experience and stick mostly to its present MLAs.

The party has renominated both its Ministers, Mr. K.E. Ismail and Mr. Krishnan Kaniyamparambil, and the Deputy Speaker, Mr. C.A. Kurian. Out of the 18 party MLAs, 14 figure in the candidates list released by the party here today. The Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Mr. E. Chandrasekharan Nair, had opted out of the fray and the party State leadership had decided to keep out Ms. Bhargavi Thankappan, Mr. Sathyan Mokeri and Mr. M. Narayanan.

There are two independents in the CPI list, one of them a newcomer. The independents are Mr. A.M. Abdul Rahim in Alappuzha and Mr. A.V. Abdu Rahim, who returns to Tirurangadi where he had contested unsuccessfully in the 1996 election. The party is fielding two women candidates, both sitting MLAs. They are Prof. Meenakshi Thampan and Ms. R. Latha Devi. The CPI has not gone in for any change in the constituencies of its candidates.

Releasing the candidates' list, the CPI State secretary, Mr. Veliyam Bhargavan, said in a statement that the State Congress' silence about the AICC decision to launch a nation-wide strike over the Tehelka.com disclosures was proof that the UDF was getting ready to ally with the BJP in Kerala.

The UDF had already decided to field a few independents to facilitate a tacit understanding with the BJP.

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Section  : Southern States
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