Headlines
Prakash Karat, Mammootty front runners for RS seat
CPI-M national general secretary Prakash Karat, his wife Brinda Karat
and Mammootty are among the front runners for one of three Rajya Sabha
seats from Kerala.
The remaining two will be filled by Congress candidates.
Superstar
Mammootty has been with the CPI-M for long, while Brinda Karat was
previously a member of the upper house from West Bengal. Her husband and
outgoing CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat are the top contenders
for the post.
Two journalists N. Madhavan Kutty, former resident
editor of The New Indian Express and now consulting editor of party
mouthpiece Deshabhimani, and chief editor of CPI-M backed Kairali TV
channel, John Brittas, are also in the race.
The CPI-M has often surprised many with its choice when it comes to naming candidates for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seats.
In
the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, they surprised all by naming comedian and
character Innocent as its candidate for the Chalakudy seat. Innocent
went on to defeat veteran Congress leader P.C. Chacko.
The party, which has lost its ground in West Bengal, now has only Kerala to look up to for a nomination to the upper house.
Kutty
over the past four years has been a popular face on TV channels in
Kerala, defending the official faction of the party led by powerhouse
politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan.
Of the nine members in the
upper house at the moment, the CPI-M has four - K.N. Balagopal, who rose
from a student politician and was the political secretary to V.S.
Achuthanandan when he became the chief minister in 2006; T.N. Seema, a
college professor who used to have a strong presence in the women's wing
of the party; P.Rajeev, who retires next month from the upper house,
was the chief editor of party mouthpiece when he was selected to the
upper house in 2009, and veteran C.P. Nair, when selected was the editor
of party magazine - Chintha.
"Several names are being discussed.
Our party always weighs the pros and cons of the candidates and that's
why you find surprises when the final announcement comes," a senior
party leader told IANS on condition of anonymity.