Congress fields former MLA Sabarinadhan in TVM civic polls

Thiruvananthapuram | Ahead of the local body elections in Kerala, the Congress on Sunday released its preliminary list of candidates for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, which includes former MLA K S Sabarinadhan.

Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan announced the list, stating that the party’s goal was to reclaim power in the Corporation.

"In the last two terms, the Congress and the UDF were in third position in the council. Our target is to recapture the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. For the past several years, we have been in the opposition here," Muraleedharan said.

He added that Congress was confident of securing a majority this time. "We will launch a vehicle rally from November 3 to 12 across Thiruvananthapuram, highlighting corruption and calling for a change in power," he said.

Muraleedharan said meetings would be held in all 101 wards, during which a charge sheet against the current council would be prepared. He will lead the statewide rally.

The list announced includes 48 candidates, a mix of experienced leaders and young representatives. The remaining names will be announced later in coordination with UDF allies.

Sabarinadhan, who served as a legislator from 2015 to 2021 and is the son of late Congress leader G Karthikeyan, will contest from the Kowdiar ward.

At present, the LDF governs the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation with 51 councillors. The BJP holds 34 seats, while the Congress won eight and the UDF a total of 10 wards in the previous election.

"This time, we have selected candidates recommended at the ward level. In cases where multiple names were proposed, the final decision was taken by the Assembly constituency core committee. Our target is to win at least 51 seats," Muraleedharan said.

The dates for the local body elections are yet to be announced.