Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday, March 11, 2009: Amidst deep political crisis, the CPI state council will meet today to decide over its list of candidates for the upcoming electoral battle in the state.

The council will name candidates for major constituencies like Thiruvananthapuram, Mavellikara, Thrissur today. Also seat sharing in Ponani will be another major topic for discussion. The CPI has already conveyed its displeasure over the CPM move to have a Left-backed independent contest from the Ponnani seat. The candidature of Hussein Randathani, a candidate who apparently has the blessings of the People’s Democratic Party and the CPM has announced himself as the Left candidate in Ponnani has irked the CPI activists well.

Randathani has already begun campaign work and his supporters have begun spreading the word about their candidate.

A final decision on the candidate in Ponnani is scheduled only on March 12, but given the ground realities
Ponnani has been an Indian Union Muslim League stronghold, and it may hardly matter whether the CPI or the CPM candidate contests from there. But political observers here say that if the seat is denied to CPI, the repercussions may well be felt in other constituencies.