Overview
- Suresh, longtime aide to V. S. Achuthanandan who was expelled from the CPI(M) in 2012, attended the UDF’s Puthuyuga Yathra in Palakkad after accepting an invitation.
- Congress and UDF leaders have held talks with Suresh, with a decision on his nomination pending and a potential run as a UDF-backed independent if cleared.
- CPI(M) state secretary M. V. Govindan reaffirmed that Suresh’s expulsion will not be reconsidered and said the party’s votes in Malampuzha are safe.
- Malampuzha, a CPI(M) stronghold once represented by Achuthanandan, saw the UDF finish third in recent contests, and Congress is betting Suresh’s association could shift Left votes in a triangular race.
- V. A. Arun Kumar, Achuthanandan’s son, said he has not considered contesting and will follow the party’s decision, stopping short of a definitive refusal.