Kerala Election 2021: First-timers find place in CPM’s candidate list, ministers dropped citing two-term policy

Kerala Election 2021: The CPI-M has released its first list of 83 candidates for the 140-member Kerala legislative assembly elections. Though the new list has several new faces as it dropped the sitting MLAs including cabinet ministers citing a maximum two-term policy. The strict adherence to two-term policy helps the CPI-M bring in fresh leaders to electoral politics while sending a message that that party is above individuals. The party has fielded 12 women candidates while it’s supporting some independent candidates as well. It has fielded CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s son-in-law Riyas, who once lost in the Lok Sabha election, from Beypore in Kozhikode. Of the women candidates, it fielded R Bindu from Irinjalakuda. She is the wife of the LDF convener and CPM state secretary A Vijayaraghavan.

The CPM is backing nine independent candidates. Seven of them are Muslims and are contesting from Malappuram and Kozhikode districts which have the highest Muslim population. This reflects that the party still lacks faces who can take the IUML head-on in these areas.

Despite the party dropping senior leaders and fielding new candidates, the average age remained on the higher side. Of the 83 candidates, 57 are above the age of 50 while 24 are beyond 60. However, the party gave tickets to four youth candidates who are aged under 30. Fielding youth candidates under 30 will boost the morale of the party’s youth cadre who can be hopeful of rising to the top.

READ: Kerala Elections 2021: Full list of CPM candidates

While no voice was raised against the decision to put a two-term ceiling for sitting legislators, the list demonstrates the influence and control that CM Pinarayi Vijayan has over the Kerala CPM and the legislators. The LDF government will now be seeking votes in name of the works and policies of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government.

While Kerala keeps switching between CPM-led LDF and Congress-led UDF governments, if CPM manages to beat the historical trends even after fielding fresh faces, the two-term policy will certainly put pressure on other parties including Congress.

The party has also accommodated rebel Congress leaders like M S Vishwanathan and P V Sreenijan who will be contesting from Sulthan Bathery and Kunnathunad respectively.