THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: LDF finally found the right time to announce all 20 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday. Four candidates of CPI were announced on Monday while the Mani wing of the Kerala Congress has already announced its candidate for the Kottayam seat and set the campaign rolling.

The fact that the candidates were fielded before the announcement of the election date has given an upper hand to the LDF in the state. RSP and Kerala Congress Joseph wing of UDF have announced their candidates and started campaigning. Muslim League will announce their candidates on Wednesday.

On the other hand, congress is yet to finalize their candidates while a screening committee meeting will be held on Wednesday. The high command has suggested that KPCC president K. Sudhakaran should contest in Kannur. KC Venugopal is likely to contest in Alappuzha while Rahul Gandhi’s candidacy in Wayanad is still hanging on the balance.

The screening meeting will also discuss the situation in some seats where the chances of winning were found to be very low by the three surveys conducted by AICC. K Sudhakaran’s gaffe while in a press meet has already put the congress on the back foot, while the discussion is also rife about the discord seeping between leaders in Congress.

After the Congress screening committee, the KPCC president and Leader of the opposition will go to Delhi to finalize the candidate list. As the KPCC chairman is contesting, a decision will also be taken on the temporary transfer of the charge.

With the completion of the NDA candidate list in a few days, there will be a three-cornered fight in some constituencies. NDA is promising to rope in popular personalities to contest the election which will surely raise the election heat in the coming days.