CPI-M supported independent begins campaign in Ponnani
March 15th, 2009 - 7:32 pm ICT by IANSThiruvananthapuram, March 15 (IANS) Hussain Randathany, a 50-year-old college principal selected by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) to contest as an independent from Ponnani, has said he will not withdraw even if a new candidate is named by Kerala’s ruling Left front.
Randathany, who has begun his campaign in the Lok Sabha constituency in Mallapuram district, said: “The present fiasco over my candidature has come as a blessing in disguise and now my electorate knows me. I am not going to go back and my campaign has already begun.”
The CPI-M and Communist Party of India (CPI) have fallen out over the Ponnani seat, which the CPI is demanding.
The trouble began when Randathany was selected by the CPI-M, and the CPI initially agreed.
CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has revealed that it was CPI assistant secretary and Rajya Sabha member K.E. Ismail who first met Randathany and asked him to contest. They agreed on his name at the Left Democratic Front (LDF) meeting on March 3.
But after People’s Democratic Party supremo Abdul Nasir Maudany came out in the open for Randathany, the CPI said Randathany was not their candidate.
Vijayan has asked the CPI to come clear on why they changed their stand.
Meanwhile, ace Malayalam film director Kamal’s name is being considered by the CPI to contest as an independent.
Kamal, 50, whose full name is Kamaludeen, has in a career spanning two decades directed 37 films.
“Friday Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran (CPI) met me and asked my consent to contest as a candidate. I have made my intentions very clear and I have said I will consider their invitation only if I am the independent candidate of the entire Left Democratic Front. I am not interested to be a candidate with only partial support from the LDF,” said Kamal.
Ponnani, in Malappuram district, is a bastion of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a part of the Congress-led United Democratic Front. This time the IUML has fielded former education minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer.
The CPI has been contesting and losing the seat by a huge margin for many years.
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Tags: blessing in disguise, college principal, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, CPI, democratic front, director kamal, independent candidate, Lok Sabha, malappuram, muslim league, nasir, pinarayi vijayan, ponnani, rajendran, rajya sabha member, revenue minister, sabha constituency, state secretary, thiruvananthapuram
