It's official: Jaick C Thomas confirmed as LDF candidate for Puthuppally bypoll

KOTTAYAM: CPM announced Jaick C Thomas as the official candidate for Puthupally. Jaick's candidature was announced by CPM State Secretary M V Govindan in a press conference called at the Kottayam District Committee office.

Earlier, CPM was on a long quest to field a surprise name in Puthupppaly which instilled serious intrigue even in opposition camps. However, the decision was dropped after discerning the waning time for campaigning and the difficulty in selecting an 'apt' candidate. Jaick has contested previously two times in the Puthuppally constituency and came near to a coup in 2021 after he reduced Oommen Chandy’s majority significantly.

Earlier, the district committee suggested three names from the constituency which had Reji Zakariya and K M Radhakrishnan’s names included along with Jaick's. The ambiguity over selection traversed several days and it was on Friday that the CPM state secretariat mooted Jaick's name and a decision was passed unanimously. Along with a roster of other CPM leaders, CM Pinarayi Vijayan will also arrive at Puthuppally to bolster campaigning. CM Pinarayi's campaigning is planned for two phases.

All the members of the State Secretariat will be given equal responsibilities. Ministers and MLAs will campaign in the constituency. According to the party, Jaick will get more votes as he is omnipresent in the constituency and the sympathy factor of previously losing two times can also work LDF’s way. The groundwork for the election campaigning has already begun, under the tutelage of Minister V N Vasavan.

The LDF candidate Jaick showed reluctance in boasting about the government's achievements but left it all for the voters to decide.