Saturday, March 13, 2010

Balagopal, Seema to be CPI-M\'s RS nominees

TPURAM: Chief Minister V S Achuthanandans Political Secretary K N Balagopal and CPI-M womens wing leader T N Seema will be the partys nominees for the Rajya Sabha elections later this month.

The names were finalised Saturday at a meeting of the state secretariat of CPI-M, a party release said. Going by the ruling partys strength in the state Assembly, CPI (M)-led LDF can win two of the three Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant.

The Opposition Congress-led UDF is expected to re-nominate Defence Minister A K Antony for the third seat.

Antony is one of the three members retiring from the Rajya Sabha, while the other two are A Vijayaraghavan (CPI-M) and P V Abdul Wahab (Indian Union Muslim League). Rejecting the demand of RSP, the LDF had Friday approved the claim of the CPI-M to contest both the seats the front could win.

The KPCC election committees decision to propose Antony as the candidate was unanimous. Considering his national stature as the countrys defence minister, his continuance in the Rajya Sabha is inevitable, state Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala told reporters.

Balagopal, a former All-India President of CPI-Ms youth wing DYFI, is now the political secretary to Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan. State president of the partys women outfit AIDWA, Seema has been a prominent woman face of the party in the state for the last few years.

Rejecting the demand of front partner RSP, the LDF had Friday approved the claim of the CPI-M to contest both the seats.

The State Planning Board member and the editor of �Chintha weekly, C P Narayanan will become the new political secretary to Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan

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