All five MLAs to contest again; Jose in Pala, Kerala Congress (M) candidates announced

KOTTAYAM: Kerala Congress (M) has announced its candidates for the upcoming Assembly election. All five sitting MLAs, including Minister Roshy Augustine, will contest again from their current constituencies. The party has announced candidates for 12 constituencies. Party chairman Jose K Mani will contest from Pala, a constituency considered the party’s stronghold, in an attempt to win it back. In the 2021 Assembly election, Mani C Kappan defeated Jose K Mani by 15,378 votes.

This time too, the main contest in Pala will be between Jose K Mani and Mani C Kappan. Shaun George will contest there as the BJP candidate, making it a three-cornered contest in the constituency. Minister Roshy Augustine will contest again from Idukki. He was the first official candidate announced by the LDF. Jose K Mani had already announced this last week at the end of the party’s Vikasana Munnetta Jatha.

Other sitting MLAs who will contest the election include N Jayaraj from Kanjirappally, Job Michael from Changanassery, Sebastian Kulathunkal from Poonjar, and Pramod Narayan from Ranni. Other candidates announced by the party are Adv. Biju Chirayath from Chalakudy, Cyriac Chazhikadan from Thodupuzha, Sabu K. Jacob from Piravom, Mathew Kunnappally from Irikkur, Nirmala Jimmy from Kaduthuruthy and Basil Paul from Perumbavoor.