Kerala Elections: Congress Releases List of 83 Candidates

Aryadan Mohammed, CN Balakrishnan and TN Prathapan were not named. They had expressed their desire to be left out.

Rahul Gandhi with Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy (L), party MP AK Anthony and others. (Photo: PTI)

The Congress, on Monday evening, released its list of 83 candidates for the assembly polls in Kerala that includes the names of 33 of 39 sitting legislators.

The list was released by the All India Congress Committee exactly a week after the final round of talks began in Delhi. The party said it will soon announce the names of candidates for three more constituencies.

As expected, six sitting legislators did not find a place in the list.

Veteran leader and outgoing minister Aryadan Mohammed, his cabinet colleague CN Balakrishnan, as well as three-time legislator TN Prathapan – who had expressed their desire to be left out – were not named.

First time legislator PA Madhavan and two-time speaker Therambil Ramakrishnan also did not figure on the list.

The Men Who Are Left Out

Aryadan Mohammed (middle), CN Balakrishnan (left) and TN Prathapan (right). (Photo Source: PTI, YouTube/Altered by The Quint)

After a long tiff with state Congress president VM Sudheeran, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy managed to get included his cabinet colleagues K Babu, KC Joseph and Adoor Prakash and also legislator Dominic Presentation, but was unable to save his close aide Benny Behanan.

Behanan was reportedly ejected by party vice president Rahul Gandhi, meant as a move to placate Sudheeran.

Behanan, earlier in the day after getting clearance from his mentor Chandy, announced his decision to withdraw his candidature. In his place, former Lok Sabha member PT Thomas has been fielded.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. (Photo: PTI)

Another highlight of the list are both children of late former Chief Minister K Karunakaran.

While K Murlaeedharan was cleared from his current seat in the state capital, his sister Padmaja Venugopal is contesting from Thrissur for the first time in the assembly, after unsuccessfully contesting the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, which she lost.

Chandy is contesting for a record 11th time from Puthupally constituency, which he has been representing since 1970.