Kerala: BJP criticises CPI (M) over namesake candidate against Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Some key candidates in the Kerala Assembly election, including BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, are facing threat of name sake candidates as the last date of withdrawing nominations ended on Thursday.

BJP alleged that Rajeev Kumar G, who is contesting from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram, is a name sake candidate fielded by CPI (M) candidate V Sivankutty.

Rajeev Kumar G S is a CPI (M) branch secretary and a known figure in the locality as a CPI (M) worker. Sivankutty, who is also a minister, is playing cheap politics owing to fear of failure, alleged BJP leaders.

As many as 890 candidates are in the fray in the 140 seats in the state. In the 2021 assembly election there were 957 candidates.

Koduvally in Kozhikode has the maximum number of candidates at 13, while there are only three candidates in six constituencies.

While there are many independent candidates with similar names, including one A M Vijayan from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's constituency Kannur, dissident left-front MLA P V Anvar, who is now contesting against public works minister P A Muhammed Riyaz at Beypore in Kozhikode, faces threat of four candidates with similar name.

IUML candidate at Manjeshwar A K M Ashraf could heave a sigh of relief as Socialist Democratic Party of India withdrew their candidate Ashraf K M.

Manjeshwar is witnessing a tight fight with former BJP state president K Surendran, who lost by just 89 votes in 2016 and 745 votes in 2021.

Name sake candidates were considered to have played the spoilsport for Surendran.

Many name sake candidates have withdrawn their nomination by Thursday.