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A Christian priest, a famous poet, a leading economist and 26 young leaders are the surprise candidates of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist, which announced its list for forthcoming assembly elections in Kerala on Sunday.
While only one minister out of the seven CPI-M ministers has been re-nominated, those opting out include veterans led by Chief Minister E K Nayanar, senior ministers T Sivadasa Menon, Susheela Gopalan, Paloly Mohammed Kutty, T K Ramakrishnan and S Sarma.
The only party leader who has retained his seat is Minister for Welfare of Backward and Scheduled Communities K Radhakrishnan. While nine women figure in the list, 26 nominees are first-timers, most of them below the age of 40.
Interestingly, the biggest surprise in the CPI-M list is Father Mathai Nooranal, an Orthodox Christian priest, who is the Marxists-supported independent candidate from the Sulthan Bathery assembly constituency in Wayanad district.
This is the first time that a Christian priest is contesting an election in India.
CPI-M leaders claim Father Nooranal has been nominated not because he is a well-known Christian priest, but because of his long-standing social service in education and charity in Wayanad, one of the poorest districts in Kerala.
Father Nooranal founded the first college of the district namely the St Mary's College, at Sulthan's Bathery in 1965. Father Nooranal has also been working for the development of co-operative movement in the state. He is at present the president of the co-operative banks in Sulthan Bathery.
While priests in the Catholic church are not allowed to contest political elections, Father Nooranal says there is no such bar in the Orthodox Church. "I have the blessings of the Suthan Bathery diocese in which I work and our bishop Kuriakose Mar Clemis Thirumeni," Father Nooranal told rediff.com.
The Sulthan Bathery Diocese constituted in 1985, is the first diocese under the direct rule of His Holiness the Catholicos of the East. When it was established in north Kerala, Father Noornal became the first administrator of the diocese till Bishop Kuriokose's appointment in 1991.
While well-known Malayalam poet Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan is contesting from Konni constituency, the CPI-M has nominated Dr T M Thomas Isaac, member of the state planning commission from Mararikulam.
Dr Isaac, a noted economist is the brain behind the successful People' Plan programme that the CPI-M led government has been implementing in Kerala's villages for the past five years.
Many in the party believe if the CPI-M led front wins the elections in the state this time, Dr Isaac will be the obvious choice for the post of finance minister.
The CPI-M, the major constituent of the Left Democratic Front government that completes its five-year term, is contesting 77 out of the 141 assembly seats in the state in the elections. The remaining seats have been allocated to other partners like Communist Party of India, the Kerala Congress (Joseph), the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Janata Dal.
The CPI-M list is headed by party politburo member V S Achuthanandan, whom the party has decided to project as the LDF's chief ministerial candidate.
CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan termed the party's list of candidates as "the one that not only encompasses the every section of party, but every strata of society in Kerala."
"We are happy that we are the first party to announce the candidates' list even before the elections have been formally announced and notified. This shows the unity and solidarity in the LDF," Vijayan told rediff.com.
He said it is the CPI-M's avowed policy to give "political recognition and power to the youngsters and women in Kerala." "Many of our candidates are new faces and they are young and dynamic leaders who will decide the future of the state," the CPI-M secretary stated.
Compared to "the smooth functioning of the LDF," Vijayan said the opposition United Democratic Front led by the Congress is like "a football court" where partners are fighting with each other for seats.
EARLIER REPORT Nayanar, five ministers not nominated
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