As many as 1,203 candidates are left in the fray after withdrawal of nominations for the May 16 Assembly elections on Monday. A total of 1,647 candidates had failed their nominations for the polls. The 2011 Assembly elections had seen 971 candidates fighting it out. The highest number of candidates is in Malappuram (145) and the lowest in Wayanad (29). Of the total number of candidates, 109 are women.
The number of candidates in the districts, with the figures for 2011 Assembly polls in brackets, are as follows: Kasaragod – 46 (36), Kannur – 87 (71), Wayanad – 29 (17), Kozhikode – 120 (97), Malappuram – 145 (97), Palakkad – 94 (75), Thrissur – 100 (84), Ernakulam – 124 (107), Idukki – 41 (41), Kottayam – 82 (59), Alappzha – 75 (62), Pathanamthitta – 37 (40), Kollam – 88 (76) and Thiruvananthapuram – 135 (109).
The highest number of women candidates is in Thiruvananthapuram (14), the lowest in Kasaragod (1). The number of women candidates is in the double digits in Ernakulam and Palakkad (12), Malappuram (11) and Thrissur (10). The number of women candidates in the other districts is as follows: Kannur (9), Wayanad and Kozhikode (7), Pathanamthitta (6), Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki (5). — Special Correspondent
