Vengara Assembly bypoll: Kerala's CPM names party worker PP Basheer as LDF candidate

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM in Kerala Sunday named party worker PP Basheer as the candidate of ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) for the 11 October by-election to the state assembly from Vengara constituency. [caption id=“attachment_3810781” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan announced the candidature of Basheer, a CPM area committee member in Tirurangadi, after a meeting of party state secretariat. The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of the sitting MLA and veteran Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader PK Kunhalikutty on his election to the Lok Sabha from Malappuram in April 2017. The Lok Sabha bypoll was caused by the demise of former Union minister E Ahmed. IUML is part of the Opposition United Democratic Front. In the 2016 Assembly polls, Kunhalikutty had won the Vengara seat with an impressive margin of 38,057 votes as the candidate of the United Democratic Front. UDF and BJP are yet to declare their candidates for the bypoll. The last date for filing of nominations is 22 September.