Kerala Assembly Polls: CM Pinarayi Vijayan Files Nomination For Seventh Contest

Kannur: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday formally filed his nomination papers from the Dharmadam Assembly constituency, marking the start of his electoral battle in the upcoming Kerala Assembly polls.

The veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader submitted his nomination at the Thalassery Sub Registrar Office around 11 am. The papers were received by Kannur Registrar A.B. Sathyan in the presence of senior party leaders and also became the first ruling Left Democratic Front candidate in Kannur district to do so.

Vijayan was accompanied by CPI(M) Kannur district secretary K.K. Ragesh, senior leader E. P. Jayarajan, Kerala Assembly Speaker A. N. Shamseer, and political secretary P. Sasi.

The elderly women residents of Pathanapuram Gandhi Bhavan funded the security deposit for the Chief minister's nomination. Representatives of the charitable institution handed over the amount to him during a recent LDF convention in Dharmadam.

This is Vijayan's seventh Assembly election contest in his decades-long political career and his third consecutive run from Dharmadam. He had previously represented Kuthuparamba three times and Payyannur once before shifting his political base to Dharmadam in 2016, where he secured resounding victories in the last two elections.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded V.P. Abdul Rasheed against him, while the BJP has named K. Ranjith as its candidate, setting the stage for a triangular contest in the constituency.

Vijayan, 80, had launched his campaign earlier with a roadshow in the constituency on Wednesday, drawing large crowds of supporters.

Launching his campaign pitch, Vijayan urged voters to back the continuation of Kerala’s development trajectory under the incumbent LDF government. He said the State has emerged as a peaceful and investment-friendly destination free from communal tensions, crediting decades of Left governance for these achievements. Expressing confidence in public support, he said the people of Kerala favour the continuation of progressive rule.

The Chief Minister also launched a sharp attack on the opposition, accusing rivals of abandoning political ethics to run a smear campaign against the government. He alleged that 'Goebbelsian tactics' are being deployed to defame the only State government that has consistently resisted the agenda of the Sangh Parivar. His campaign tours across the constituency have been witnessing large and enthusiastic turnouts.

Holidays for ECI

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has clarified that nominations will not be accepted on March 20 (Friday) and March 22 (Sunday) due to the Ramadan holiday and Sunday, respectively. This leaves only Thursday, Saturday and Monday for candidates to file papers, with Monday being the final deadline. Political parties had sought an extension or special arrangements, citing the limited window, but election authorities said existing rules prohibit acceptance of nominations on public holidays.