LS Polls 2024: CPI releases first list of 4 candidates for Kerala, Annie Raja to contest from Wayanad

In a setback to the INDIA alliance, the Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday released its first list of four candidates for Lok Sabha elections in Kerala. The CPI, which is part of the INDIA alliance at the national level, has fielded Pannian Raveendran from Thiruvananthapuram, and Annie Raja from Wayanad. VS Sunil Kumar will contest from Thrissur and Arun Kumar from Mavelikara. 

Currently, Congress' Shashi Tharoor is the sitting MP from Thiruvananthapuram and Rahul Gandhi holds Wayanad. If Gandhi fights from Wayanad, he will face a challenge from Annie Raja, wife of CPI General Secretary D Raja.  

In the 2019 elections, the CPI fielded 4 candidates, but they could not win any seats. 

Kerala has 20 Lok Sabha seats. Of these, the Congress bagged 15, while two went to the Indian Union Muslim League in 2019. The CPI(M), KC(M), and RSP won 1 seat each.  

CPI's Thrissur candidate VS Sunil Kumar sounded confident about his victory from the seat. He said the BJP's aggressive campaigning in the city will not have any impact. "I don't know why they are confident about their victory. PM Narendra Modi already visited Thrissur twice and held roadshows. It will not affect our political victory in Thrissur because the situation here is very different from other places. This type of gimmick will not affect Kerala politics, especially Thrissur. 19 MPs from Kerala are doing nothing for the people of Kerala. They are trying to spoil the political situation in Kerala."

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP and CPI Secretary Binoy Viswam on Monday questioned the Congress party for its decision to contest Lok Sabha polls in Kerala. He said North India is considered the hotbed of India from where the maximum number of MPs have come to the Parliament, where BJP is a powerful force to fight. 

"Forgetting that reality, what is the political logic for the Congress to come to southmost India, to Kerala, where there are just 20 seats? It is known to everybody that no one from the BJP will be able to win from Kerala. From where should he fight exactly? The essence of the earlier battle of 2019 is there when Rahul Gandhi did the same thing when he came to Wayanad from Amethi. BJP started a campaign that got the cash. They said Rahul Gandhi was afraid of the BJP that's why he ran to Kerala. This campaign resulted in the defeat of Congress in the entire North India."