The 140-member Kerala assembly is going for elections on Tuesday, April 6 with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the fray. The votes for the single-phase assembly elections will be counted on May 2.
In the 2021 assembly, several heavyweights, including senior Congress leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy, Kerala Congress(M) leader Jose K Mani, a key partner of the CPI(M)-led LDF, two Rajya Sabha BJP MPs K J Alphons and Suresh Gopi are contesting from the state’s assembly constituencies.
The BJP has fielded ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan from Palakkad constituency against Youth Congress leader Shafi Parambil.
On the other hand, Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Mizoram governor and senior BJP leader, is battling from Nemom against Congress’ K Muraleedharan and CPI(M) candidate V Sivankutty. Nemom, which is in Thiruvananthapuram district, was the only seat BJP won last time.
Also Read | Kerala polls 2021: A look at the most controversial statements by leaders
As many as nine actors are in the fray this time in the Kerala assembly elections. These include National award-winning film actor and Rajya Sabha MP Suresh Gopi, who is fielded by the BJP-NDA from Thrissur; Suresh Gopi, who has acted in over 200 films; former minister Ganesh Kumar, son of Kerala Congress (B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai.
The LDF, the current ruling coalition in Kerala, is an alliance which is led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and also comprises parties such as the Communist Party of India, Janata Dal, KC (M), Congress Secular, Indian National League, and Lokthantrik Janatha Dal.
The UDF, on the other hand, is led by Congress and comprises the Indian Union of Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Joseph) group, Kerala Congress Jacob group, and Revolutionary socialist party (RSP).
The UDF suffered a blow following the death of Kerala Congress founder KM Mani in 2019. The party, which was one of UDF’s most prominent allies, split into two and the party founder’s son Jose K Mani’s fraction joined the LDF, which, on the other hand, lost its ally, Mani C Kappan’s Nationalist Congress Kerala to UDF.
