Thiruvananthapuram : The contours of the poll battle in Kerala became clear on Tuesday as the Congress released a list of 55 candidates and ally Indian Union Muslim League another 25 for the upcoming assembly polls next month.. Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has been fielded from Haripad constituency.. With this, the ruling Left Democratic Front has announced 130candidates, its main challenger the United Democratic Front 95, and the National Democratic Alliance 75. All 140 assembly seats in Kerala go to the polls on April 9.. Key battleground seats include Nemom, Vattiyoorkavu, Peravoor and Palakkad. The LDF is hoping for a third consecutive term.. In its first list, the Congress dropped one sitting lawmaker Palakkad legislator Rahul Mamkootathil, who is embroiled in multiple sexual assault charges.. It fielded 19 sitting lawmakers including state unit chief Sunny Joseph (Peravoor), Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan (Paravur), senior leader Ramesh Chennithala (Haripad), former minister AP Anilkumar (Wandoor), former youth unit chief Roji M John (Angamaly) and AICC secretary PC Vishnunadh (Kundara).. Instead of Mamkootathil, who was accused by three women of rape and sexual assault, the Congress picked popular actor-director Ramesh Pisharody in Palakkad where a fierce three-way fight will ensue. Pisharody will take on the BJP’s Sobha Surendran. The Left is yet to finalise its candidate.. Former Vadakara MP K Muraleedharan, who lost to the BJP’s Suresh Gopi in Thrissur in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, was accommodated in Vattiyoorkavu and former Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislator P Aisha Potty was fielded in Kottarakkara where she will take on CPI(M) leader and finance minister KN Balagopal.. Former Alathur MP Ramya Haridas was fielded in the SC-reserved Chirayankeezhu constituency, where a section of party leaders have publicly opposed her candidature.. The Congress picked Abdul Rasheed VP Abdul Rasheed (who was the party candidate in 2021 in Thaliparambu constituency) to take on chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Dharmadam, a Left stronghold, and state unit vice-president VT Balram will once again fight sitting minister MB Rajesh in Thrithala.. The Congress list did not name candidates for Perumbavoor and Thripunithura, both of which it holds. In Perumbavoor, the leadership appears unsure about sitting MLA Eldhose Kunnappally, who faces sexual assault allegations. In Thripunithura, the party is yet to find a replacement for MLA K Babu who announced his retirement from electoral politics.. Another question of whether incumbent Lok Sabha MPs will be allowed to contest the assembly elections is also unclear. Kannur MP K Sudhakaran and Attingal MP Adoor Prakash, both of whom have shown interest in contesting the polls, are in Delhi to make their case with the central leadership. Sudhakaran, the former state unit president, has hinted that he may turn rebel if denied a ticket.. He had said on Tuesday, “No one has held any discussi
