KK Rema to contest from Vadakara as UDF-backed candidate

Vadakara: RMP leader KK Rema will contest as the Assembly election as a UDF-backed candidate from Vadakara seat. On the other day, Congress leadership had declared that if Rema was not contesting, the party will take back the seat from RMP and field their own candidate. Following this, RMP summoned a meeting and declared KK Rema as candidate for Vadakara seat.

Rema is the widow of murdered former CPI-M leader T.P. Chandrasekheran.

Earlier, RMP had planned to field state secretary N Venu from Vadakara. Rema also informed the party that she was not interested to test the political waters.

On Monday, UDF convenor MM Hassan declared that Congress will take over Vadakara seat from RMP. Following this, RMP convinced Rema to contest the polls from Vadakara seat.

Following this, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala declared that UDF will support Rema who is a strong opponent for LDF.

“Congress and UDF have the democratic responsibility to support TP’s wife when she is foraying to counter the murder politics of CPM,” wrote Chennithala on his Facebook page.

"Since this is a political fight and in the present circumstances, we have decided to field Rema and will take the support of the UDF, that has been offered," said Venu.

RMP also clarified that they are not an ally of the UDF, but will only take the support of the UDF.

For the past few weeks, there was some confusion as the Congress party was asking Rema to contest the polls and after initially agreeing, she turned Covid positive and she decided she will not contest.

But after the Congress made it clear that their support is only for Rema, it was after long deliberations that the RMP decided to field Rema.

Incidentally, Rema had contested as an RMP candidate from the same constituency and had finished third.

In the 2016 polls, it was won by C.K. Nanu of the Janata Dal (S) and M. Chandran of the party led by media baron M.P.Veerendra Kumar under Janata Dal (U) came second. At that time, Kumar's party was an ally of the Congress led UDF.

This time after the erstwhile JD (U) was wound up and in its place came the Loktantrik Janata Dal ( LJD) - they have left UDF and have become the new ally of the ruling Left.

The CPI-M last week sprang a surprise by giving the seat to LJD and M. Chandran is trying his luck this time, much to the anger of the JD (U), who lost a sitting seat to their arch rival.

Chandrasekheran, 51, who launched the RMP, was hacked 51 times by assailants on May 4, 2012 when he was returning home on his motorcycle in his hometown near Kozhikode.

In the case, 11 people was given life imprisonment, of which three were middle level CPI-M leaders and the demand for probing the conspiracy behind the murder is still in the court.

Rema has time and again taken on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for calling her husband as a renegade and the campaign is likely to see sparks fly as Rema has the full backing of the Congress-led UDF.

(With added inputs from IANS)