Senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran has decided to contest from Kannur in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, even as efforts to persuade him otherwise have failed. Sudhakaran has also begun steps to file his nomination papers. His personal staff visited Kerala House to obtain the required certificate for filing the nomination.
He arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday morning but has not yet agreed to hold discussions with the party high command. Senior leaders, including M. K. Raghavan and Ramesh Chennithala, met him, but he remained firm in his decision. The high command has already decided that sitting MPs should not contest in the Assembly elections. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) had earlier taken the same stand.
Although the Indian National Congress released its first phase candidate list recently, the candidate for the Kannur constituency has not yet been announced. Meanwhile, protests have been reported in Kannur, with supporters demanding that Sudhakaran contest from the constituency. Demonstrations included marches and display of protest boards.
