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Following unprecedented street protests by the CPI(M) cadre against her candidature, veteran film and stage actor KPAC Lalitha on Monday announced her withdrawal from the contest for the Wadakkancherry seat in Kerala’s Thrissur district.
This comes as a set-back to the party’s plan to field a host of celebrities in the May 16 Assembly elections.
The 69-year-old Lalitha, who has acted in several Malayalam movies over the past half century and who is considered a Left co-traveller, told the media on Monday that she was backing off due to ‘health reasons.’ Last week, she had said she was excited about the party’s offer to field her in Wadackancherry, the hometown of her late husband, the legendary filmmaker Bharathan. On Sunday, the CPI (M)’s State secretariat had approved her candidature.
In what came as a shock to the party leadership, about 60 activists of the CPI (M) and its youth wing DYFI on Sunday took out a rally in Wadakkancherry to protest the ‘air-dropping of a star’ as the Left Democratic Front candidate. They wanted ‘a local leader who could feel the heart beats of the constituency’ as their candidate. Earlier, several hoardings and posters had appeared condemning the fielding of a film star instead of some local CPI (M) leader with a proven record. It is alleged that a CPI (M) leader in the district who had an eye on the seat was behind the protests. AC Moideen, the district secretary of the CPI(M), told BusinessLine on Monday that the party was looking into the issue and that action will be taken against those found to have erred.
In the Aranmula constituency in Pathanamthitta district, there was a ‘poster campaign’ and a rally against the proposed nomination by the CPI (M) of Veena George, a young TV news anchor, as the ‘LDF independent’ candidate. The district committee of the party is reported to have launched action against the street protestors. In spite of the protests, the party secretariat has cleared Veena’s candidature, though a formal announcement will be made in the first week of April, along with all the other LDF candidates.
The LDF also plans to field actor Mukesh in the Kollam constituency.
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