THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After much deliberation, the left front decided on Jaick C Thomas as the best fit to break the UDF bastion in Puthuppally. It is expected of CPM state secretary M V Govindan to officially announce Jaick’s candidacy at 12 pm on Saturday, after the scheduled CPM district and constituency meetings in Kottayam.

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 Puthupappally 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.

Jaick, a familiar face in television debates was earlier the state president of SFI. He will also get the credit for contesting against Oommen Chandy and now his son Chandy Oommen.