LDF finishes seat allocation

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI-M-led LDF in Kerala on Monday finalised its seat sharing agreement amongst allies, after more than two weeks of discussions and deliberations.

Left Democratic Front convenor Vaikom Viswan, who presided over the seat-sharing talks, told reporters that the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) will contest 92 seats, the Communist Party of India 27, Janata Dal-Secular 5, the Nationalist Congress Party 4, while the Congress-S and Kerala Congress will contest one seat each.

Parties having a tie-up with the LDF -- Kerala Congress-Democratic will contest 4 seats, Indian National League (INL) 3, while Kerala Congress-Pillai, Communist Marxist Party (CMP) and Revolutionary Socialist Party-L (RSP-L) will contest one seat each.

Viswan said the list of candidates would be released on March 30.

Though there was speculation about Kerala Congress-Secular leader P.C. George, the seat-sharing talks did not feature the six-time legislator.

George had moved out of the LDF just before the 2011 polls to join the United Democratic Front, but last year broke his ties with the UDF and was waiting for his entry back into the LDF.

The LDF also decided not to give any seat to the JSS led by former CPI-M leader K.R. Gowri.

In the outgoing assembly, the LDF has 68 seats. In 2011, it was made up of six parties and had a tie-up with the INL.

This time, the LDF has got four more parties into its fold -- the breakaway factions of the Kerala Congress-Mani, Kerala Congress-Democratic, RSP-L and the CMP led by Aravindakshan.

K.B. Ganesh Kumar, the lone member of the Kerala Congress-Pillai moved over to the LDF last year.

Kerala goes to polls on May 16 to elect a new 140-member assembly.