Though the Election Commission has not yet announced the dates for the Lok Sabha polls, incumbent MP A.M. Ariff of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] and C.A. Arunkumar of the Communist Party of India (CPI) — the Left Democratic Front candidates in Alappuzha and Mavelikara Lok Sabha constituencies respectively are making the most of early-bird advantage in the initial round of electioneering.
While the Congress, the biggest party in the United Democratic Front, is yet to officially announce the candidates in any of the 16 Lok Sabha seats it is contesting in the State, the National Democratic Alliance has announced Sobha Surendran of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its candidate in Alappuzha. Ms. Surendran is expected to begin the election campaign on Thursday.
In the Congress camp, multiple names, including All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal, who represented Alappuzha twice from 2009 to 2019, and the last election’s runner-up Shanimol Usman, are doing rounds as a possible candidate for the seat.
