Barely a day after he had expressed willingness to contest on the CPI(M) ticket from Kozhikode North segment, filmmaker Ranjith has backed out from entering the fray for the coming Assembly polls.
He told the media that he wholeheartedly supported incumbent legislator A. Pradeepkumar, who would be running for the fourth time in a row from the segment. The CPI(M) district secretariat, which met here on Wednesday, favoured the candidature of Mr. Pradeepkumar.
Party sources said that a section of leaders was against the renomination of Mr. Pradeepkumar. Speculations were rife over the party fielding Mr. Ranjith as Mr. Pradeepkumar completed three consecutive terms. Incidentally, Mr. Pradeepkumar is also close to Ranjith as well.
Mr. Pradeepkumar has been able to strike a chord with the urban middle-class voters ever since he defeated Congress leader the late A. Sujanapal from Kozhikode-I segment in 2006. However, he lost to Congress leader M.K. Raghavan, who is equally popular, from Kozhikode Parliamentary constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
At the same time, the confusion over the Kozhikode South segment seat has been resolved after the Left Democratic Front (LDF) offered it to Indian National League (INL).
Meanwhile, the district secretariat, it is learnt, has also recommended the names of P.A. Mohammed Riyas, DYFI national president, to contest in Beypore; Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan in Perambra; sitting legislator P.T.A. Rahim in Kunnamangalam; Giresh John, a popular local leader in Thiruvambadi; sitting MLA M.A. Razak in Koduvally and SFI State secretary K.M. Sachin Dev in the reserved segment of Balussery. Both Mr. Rahim and Razak were LDF Independents.
The party is also weighing options either on fielding sitting MLA K. Dasan or Consumerfed chairman M. Mehaboob from Koyilandy.
The party has not decided on the probable candidates in Kuttiyadi. The party has plans to field K.P. Kunhammedkutty, former district panchayat president, in this segment, which the IUML had captured. It has left the door open to share the seat with its nascent partner Jose K. Mani faction of the Kerala Congress (M).
