M. Vijayakumar CPI-M's candidate for Aruvikara bypoll

Former speaker and minister M. Vijayakumar has been named the CPI-M candidate for the June 27 bypoll for the Aruvikara assembly seat in the capital district.

The by-election was necessitated by the death of Speaker G. Karthikeyan in March this year. He was the legislator from Aruvikara.

A meeting of the top brass of the Thiruvananthapuram district CPI-M held here on Thursday and attended by state party secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan made the decision, but it will be officially announced on Sunday.

Sources said the committee took into account the importance of the contest, as the local body and the assembly elections are coming up later this year and a loss here could seriously affect the fortunes of the Left opposition.

"The Left Democratic Front meets here on May 31 and the announcement will be made then," said Balakrishnan.

Vijayakumar, 65, is a four-time legislator. He had beaten Karthikeyan in 1987 to win his debut election. He was the speaker of the assembly from 1996 to 2001, but lost the 2001 election.

He won again in 2006 and was a minister in the E.K. Nayanar cabinet. He did not contest the 2011 polls.

The Congress party is likely to cash in on the public sympathy after Karthikeyan's demise and its top leaders have already met his widow, retired professor M.T. Sulekha.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will meet party president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Friday and sources said Gandhi will officially ask Sulekha to contest the polls.