Ex-IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan expresses willingness to contest Kerala polls as Congress candidate

Thiruvananthapuram: Amid reports that ex-IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan might be fielded by the Congress in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections from Palakkad, Gopinathan said that he was willing to contest if the party asks.

Gopinathan told reporters that so far the party leaders did not communicate to him whether he should contest or not. In case the party asks he was willing to contest as he was familiar with Palakkad since his childhood.

Gopinathan, who was a 2012 batch Malayali IAS, had quit the civil services in 2019 after openly flaying various policies of the BJP government at the Centre, including the abrogation of article 370. He later joined the Congress.

Sitting MLA of Palakkad Rahul Mamkootatahil was expelled from Congress after back to back sexual assault allegations and cases came up against him. Hence the Congress is looking for a new candidate for Palakkad.