While Radhakrishnan is contesting from Alathur, Raja and Antony are fielded in Wayanad and Pathanamthitta constituencies, respectively.
Published Apr 03, 2024 | 6:29 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 03, 2024 | 6:29 PM
People gathered for an election rally in Kerala. (Facebook)
With only a day remaining to file the nominations for the 26 April Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, several candidates filed their nominations on Wednesday, 3 April.
Senior CPI (M) leader and Kerala Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan, CPI national executive member Annie Raja, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and BJP national secretary Anil Antony were among the prominent contestants who filed their nominations in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Wednesday.
While Radhakrishnan is contesting from Alathur in northern Palakkad district, Raja and Antony are fielded in Wayanad and Pathanamthitta constituencies, respectively.
Raja’s opponent in Wayanad, sitting MP and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, also filed his nomination.
Former state health minister KK Shailaja filed her nomination from the Vadakara constituency.
Senior Congress leader and three-time Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor filed his nomination from Thiruvananthapuram constituency for the fourth consecutive time in the Lok Sabha elections.
Tharoor arrived at the district collectorate in the afternoon along with senior party leaders, including MLA M Vincent, VS Sivakumar, Thiruvananthapuram DCC president Palode Ravi, and other workers.
Before filing his nomination, Tharoor offered prayers at famed shrines in the constituency, including Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple and Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple.
Senior CPI leader and former Thiruvananthapuram MP Pannian Raveendran and BJP leader and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar are Tharoor’s challengers in the fray.
Sitting Congress MPs Rajmohan Unnithan and Benny Behannan, who will contest again from Kasaragod and Chalakudy, respectively, CPI (M) nominee in Ernakulam constituency KJ Shine and LDF candidate in Ponnani KS Hamsa also filed the nominations on Wednesday morning.
Senior IUML leader and sitting MP ET Mohammed Basheer who changed his constituency to Malappuram this time, also filed the nomination before the district collector.
Minister Radhakrishnan was accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues MB Rajesh and K Krishnankutty and other prominent leaders of the Palakkad district when he arrived to file the nomination papers.
Shine, a first-timer in the parliamentary elections, exuded confidence about her victory and said her years-long experience of working at the grassroots level would help to win the hearts of voters.
“The guarantee of the LDF is to ensure a socio-political and financial situation in the country to lead a peaceful life enjoying the rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” she told reporters later.
The last date for filing nomination papers is 4 April, the Election Commission notification for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls said.
Filed nominations would be scrutinised on 5 April, and 8 April is the last date for withdrawal, the notification said.
The Lok Sabha polls across the country are scheduled to be held in seven phases starting 19 April and the counting of votes will take place on 4 June.
(With PTI inputs)
