Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan submitted his nomination papers on Thursday as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate for the Dharmadam Assembly constituency in Kannur district. (PTI) Chief Minister Vijayan, the first major party candidate to file nomination papers for the upcoming assembly elections, submitted them to Returning Officer Sachin Krishna at the Sub-Registrar Office in Thalassery around 8:03 a.m. He was accompanied by his Communist Party of India (Marxist) colleagues EP Jayarajan, AN Shamseer, KK Rajesh, and P Sasi. Incidentally, Vijayan filed his nomination papers on the 28th death anniversary of EMS Namboodiripad, Kerala’s inaugural chief minister and communist icon. Although the CPI(M) had initially scheduled a roadshow with thousands of supporters from the chief minister’s native village of Pinarayi to the sub-registrar’s office, Vijayan skipped it and went straight to the office. He stayed there for about 15 minutes before heading to Malappuram for party events marking EMS’s death anniversary. This marks the third occasion that Pinarayi Vijayan has submitted nomination papers as a party candidate in the Dharmadam constituency, following victories in 2016 and 2021. He has previously been elected MLA three times from Kuthuparamba and once from Thaliparamba. The two-term CM has disclosed movable and immovable assets totaling ₹1.01 crore in his financial declaration. In the affidavit submitted prior to the 2021 elections, his assets totaled ₹1.18 crore. Vijayan declared movable assets exceeding ₹45 lakh, which included bank deposits and shares in companies such as Malayalam Communications Limited (owner of Kairali TV) and Kannur International Airport Limited. The affidavit also lists immovable property valued at more than ₹56 lakh, comprising a residential property and 78 cents of agricultural land. He owns no gold or vehicles. His wife, Kamala Vijayan, possesses movable assets valued at ₹60 lakh, which include 80 grams of gold, along with immovable assets worth ₹36 lakh. Neither Vijayan nor his wife has any liabilities. CM Vijayan is facing six cases, including one under the Prevention of Corruption Act related to the SNC-Lavalin case and another under ED investigation concerning the masala bonds issued by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board.
