The Congress retained all three sitting MLAs in the district, while bringing in some new faces to its list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.
Keeping in mind the days of speculation about the nominee for the Nemom seat, the party took the MP K.K. Announced Muralitharan’s name. Kerala Pradesh Congress (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran, who announced the list here on Sunday afternoon, said that the candidates from Vatiyakuravu constituency, who had witnessed a revolt from the local leadership of the Congress, would be announced later.
Muraleedharan, the MP representing Vadakara, returns to Thiruvananthapuram district after a two-year hiatus, following his resignation as an MLA from Vatiyakuravu constituency, where he had won twice. With his withdrawal, the Congress is withdrawing the Nemom constituency, which it gave to its ally (United) in the last two elections, indicating its intention to take its only seat in the state to the BJP.
Among the new faces on the list are BRM Shafir, who will contest from Varkala. The 40-year-old currently serves as the KPCC Secretary. He entered politics through the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and later served as the district leader of the Youth Congress. SS Lal, who will contest from Kazakhutam, is a public health expert who has worked with the World Health Organization. A student leader of KSU and an official of the Medicos associations, he returned to active politics last year through the All India Professional Congress.
PS Prashant, who will contest from Nedumangad, served as the vice chairman of the Youth Welfare Board in the previous term of the UDF government. He also held the post of District President of both KSU and Youth Congress, and has been the office bearers of District Congress Committee (DCC) and KPCC.
Ansjita Rasal, the only woman in the Congress list in the district, has been a district panchayat member since 1995 and will contest in Parsala. In 2013, she became the chairperson of the Thiruvananthapuram District Panchayat. She is currently representing Vellarda Mandal in Zilla Panchayat.
35-year-old BS Anoop, who is contesting from Chiraiankiju constituency, is currently the state general secretary of the Youth Congress and a member of the Kadakkavoor gram panchayat. Congress candidate from Katkada, Malayinkies Venugopal had earlier won seats for the party in Zilla Panchayat and Nemom Block Panchayat. He has also been a member of the District Planning Committee and the District Tourism Promotion Council. Congress candidate Anad Jayan is currently a member of Zilla Panchayat in Vamanapuram.
MLA
VS Sivakumar will contest in Thiruvananthapuram assembly constituency, which he has been handling since 2011. M. Vincent, who won from Kovalam constituency in 2016, will contest from there for the second time. KS Sabarinadhan will contest for the third time in Aruvikkara constituency.
R. Selvaraj, who had struck a storm after resigning as a CPI-M MLA and joining the Congress in 2012, will contest in Neyyattinkara.
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