THE CPI(M) led Left Democratic Front in Kerala has announced its list of 124 candidates for the elections to the 140 member Kerala legislative assembly. There are 12 women and 11 independent candidates in the list. CPI(M) will be contesting in 92 constituencies.  Candidates for 16 constituencies including two CPI(M) seats will be announced later, LDF convener Vaikom Vishwan said at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on March 30, 2016.

KERALA will go to assembly polls on May 16, along with Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Major coalitions in the state LDF and UDF have started seat-sharing discussions. A vertical split in the Kerala Congress (Mani), the second largest constituent of UDF, gives an advantage to Left Democratic Front (LDF). Francis George, former MP and son of KC(M) founder K M George, former MLAs Antony Raju and K C Joseph and many district level leaders left the parent party and formed a new outfit, Kerala Congress (Democratic). The split may tilt political balance in Central Kerala.

THE turmoil in Kerala’s ruling establishment over bar bribery and solar scams continued with the state witnessing a series of fresh revelations made by the solar case accused while deposing before a judicial commission, strictures from the vigilance court and resignation and subsequent re-induction of excise minister K Babu, fresh charges made by bar owners against home minister Ramesh Chennithala and health minister V S Shivakumar, Saritha’s new set of bribery allegations against MLAs in the chief minister’s camp, and a contempt of court case against the information and culture minister.

OOMMEN Chandy has become the first chief minister in the history of Kerala to depose before a judicial commission in connection with a scam. On January 25, Chandy spent almost the entire day -- 14 hours -- in a government guest house in state capital Thiruvananthapuram answering queries by the Justice Sivarajan Commission regarding his meetings with the main accused in the multi-crore solar panel scam, Saritha Nair and Biju Rdhakrishnan, the role of government agencies in promoting the business interests of the accused, and his sons’ alleged links with the duo among others.

THE fourth edition of International Congress on Kerala Studies organised by AKG Padana Gaveshana Kendram (AKG Study and Research Centre) has been successfully held, culminating in the drawing up of a master plan to create a new Kerala. The two day conference held at seven venues in Thiruvananthapuram amidst the presence of a galaxy of leaders from Left and Democratic parties and experts in respective fields has given a hope to foresee the revival of Kerala model of development which changed the socio-economic status of the state.