Kanhaiya Kumar, former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union is likely to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Bihar's Begusarai district.
The fiery student leader, who shot to fame after he was jailed on a sedition charge, could be the CPI candidate from Begusarai constituency, considered a Left bastion.
An indication regarding this development was given by CPI national council secretary K R Naraina, who was in Patna to attend a two-day state executive committee meeting of the party.
He said that if Kanhaiya wants to contest from Kerala, the party would support him.
"In Bihar, the choice of seat will be left to him. But Begusarai would be the most preferred one for Kanhaiya," said CPI state secretary Satyanarayan Singh.
Kanhaiya, who has always opposed the Hindutva politics of the RSS and the ABVP, is a native of Begusarai, where his parents still stay.
His mother Meena Devi is an anganwadi sevika (worker) there and his father Jayashankar Singh is a farmer who is paralysed and bed-ridden.
Kanhaiya is also the author of the book From Bihar to Tihar.
Satyanarayan said the Left party would forge a broad alliance with the Congress, RJD, CPM, CPI-ML, NCP and the Sharad Yadav-led JD (U) faction to fight the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
"In Bihar, the CPI has strongholds in Khagaria, Motihari, Begusarai and Madhubani. After the seats are earmarked for us, we will announce Kanhaiya's candidature," the state secretary said.
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