Among those who filed nomination papers on the last day was Congress candidate Jagadeepan, the victim of brutal attack by CPI(M) workers. He was carried on a chair by Congress activists to file his papers. In Kaivettam ward of Thalassery municipality, Mariyu C.H., wife of Fazal, an NDF activist who was murdered allegedly by CPI(M) workers, entered the fray by filing her papers as an SDPI candidate.
Entering the fray in the Keezhmadu division of the Ernakulam district panchayat on Wednesday on the SDPI ticket was N.A. Anas, who was acquitted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in the sensational palm-chopping case earlier this year.
In the Kochi Corporation, among the 12 dissident candidates to enter the fray is Winny Abraham, sister of the outgoing Mayor Tony Chammany.
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The Pengal Otrumai, spearheading the plantation workers’ stir in Munnar, shook the mainstream political parties out of their complacency by fielding candidates in 39 wards of four grama panchayats, seven block panchayat divisions and two district panchayat division. “Till now, we did not know what was going on. Now we will decide what should happen here,” Pengal Ottrumai leader Gomathy told the media when explaining the rationale for their decision to fight the local government elections.