NCP releases list of four candidates

Nationalist Congress Party state Treasurer Mani C Kappan will take on Kerala Congress (M) supremo and former state Finance K M Mani at Pala in Kottayam district in the May 16 state assembly elections, in a repeat of 2011 poll.
NCP, a partner in the CPI-M led LDF Opposition, today declared its four candidates, including Kappan.
Thomas Chandy (Kuttanad) and A K Saseendran (Elathur, both sitting MLAs and N A Muhammedkutty (Kottakkal) are the other candidates of the party, NCP State President Uzhavoor Vijayan told reporters here.
As per the LDF seat sharing agreement, NCP has been alloted four seats.

In 2011, Mani, the leader of KC-M, the third largest partner in the ruling Congress led UDF, had defeated Kappan by a margin of more than 5,000 votes.
Meanwhile, CPI, second largest partner in the LDF, also announced advocate K Mohan Das (Manjery) and K T Abdul Rehman (Eranad)-- as the candidates for the two remaining seats the party is contesting.
With this, CPI has released names of candidates for all the 27 seats the party is contesting in the 140-member assembly.