K Radhakrishnan, who is the current Devaswom and SC/ST Welfare Minister of Kerala and a CPM central committee member, is known for his clean image and down-to-earth personality. He got elected to the state Assembly for the fifth time in 2021 from Chelakkara in Thrissur district. His victory margin has kept increasing in each election. He had earlier served as Kerala Assembly speaker and minister for SC/ST welfare.
Radhakrishnan is the lone incumbent Kerala minister contesting the Lok Sabha election. The 59-year-old leader, who began his political activities through the Students Federation of India, holds on to communist ideologies and has often openly opposed discrimination in the name of caste. Recently, he publicly expressed his displeasure over an alleged act of discrimination by a temple priest, and this stirred controversy.
Ramya Haridas shot into the limelight in 2019 after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi handpicked her as a candidate for the then Lok Sabha election. She defeated CPM’s sitting lawmaker P K Biju, with a margin of 1.58 lakh votes at Left stronghold Alathur. Hailing from a financially weak background, 38-year-old Ramya is known for her singing capabilities, which the highlight of her election campaigns.
Owing to her weak financial condition, her supporters had taken the crowdfunding route to support her in the elections and it received a huge response. She had served as a panchayat president before entering the Lok Sabha election fray in 2019. She is also the second woman from the Dalit community to become a Lok Sabha MP from Kerala. She entered politics during her student days and had also taken part in agitations for land reforms.
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