THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM, which is contesting 85 seats in the Assembly, has allotted 23 seats to the Hindu backward communities. Of this, 20 seats are for the Ezhava community. Of the 11 seats in Kannur district, seven are for backward classes. In the last election in which the CPM contested 92 seats, the backward classes had almost the same representation.

Seats provided for the backward communities

Thiruvananthapuram: Vattiyoorkavu, Kazhakoottam, Varkala

Kollam: Kollam

Pathanamthitta: Konni

Alappuzha: Kayamkulam

Ernakulam: Vypin

Kottayam: Ettumanoor

Idukki: Udumbanchola

Thrissur: Pudukkad

Palakkad: Alathur, Nemmara, Malampuzha

Kozhikode: Perampra

Kannur: Dharmadam, Mattannur, Azhikode, Payyannur, Kalyassery (all Ezhava), Kannur (Ganaka) , Taliparamba (Kumbara)

Kasargod: Manjeswaram (Ezhava), Uduma (Padmashaliya).

Protest strong over CPI neglect towards backward communities

Protests are strong over the CPI cutting down backward community representation in candidate selection.

While the CPI (M) has announced its candidates for 21 of the 25 seats, Ezhava representation is there in Punalur (Kollam), Peermade (Idukki) and Kodungallur (Thrissur). The announcement is yet to be made in Chadayamangalam, Harippad, Paravur and Nattika seats. The agreement is to give Chadayamangalam to the Ezhava community. Natika is a reserved seat. The CPI, which contested 27 seats in 2016, gave six seats to the Ezhava community.

The candidate selection in Cherthala has triggered widespread criticism. In a constituency where more than 60 percent of the population is Ezhava, the LDF and UDF regularly field members of the Ezhava community. This time the CPI nominated a member of the Nair community. It is said that this will be a loss of another seat of Ezhava community in the district.

P Thilothaman, who made commendable work as the Food Minister in the Left government, has won the last three times on a CPI ticket from Cherthala. SNDP General Secretary Vellapally Natesan and others had strongly opposed the removal of the popular Tilothaman on basis of the three-term norm.

PS Jyothis, CPM leader, Thanneermukkam panchayat president and SN Trust board member resigned from the party yesterday and shocked the CPM by becoming a BDJS candidate in Cherthala. Although Jyoti said he resigned in protest of the CPM's disregard for him in the local body elections and the Aroor assembly seat, this is attributed to the resentment of many others over the LDF's neglect of the Ezhava community in Cherthala. In the four seats contested by the Janata Dal-S, a constituent party of the Left Front, the candidate in Palakkad's Chittoor is a member of the Ezhava community.