DYFI opposes CPM pick in Manjeshwar

Kozhikode: Several office-bearers of DYFI came out in the open against CPM's decision to field district secretariat member K R Jayananda in Manjeshwar constituency for the upcoming assembly election, warning that they may not cooperate in the campaign if his candidature is not reconsidered."K R Jayananda does not cooperate with grassroots-level committees and we are prepared to support any other candidate," said DYFI's Uppala block treasurer Shabeer. He also added that if the party does not change the candidate, DYFI activists may stay away from poll campaign activities.When asked whether the party leadership might take action against them for their stubborn stance, Shabeer said they were ready to face any disciplinary action. He said fielding Jayananda would only help UDF and that the party should put up a tough fight in the constituency instead of nominating a candidate who, according to them, has little chance of winning.Office-bearers of DYFI in Bandiyode and Uppala regional committees have submitted complaints to the district committee against fielding Jayananda. Earlier, DYFI leaders from Kumbala had also sent a similar letter to the district leadership.Previously, the district committee had discussed several names, including the possibility of fielding Shanavas Padhoor as a Left-backed independent candidate in Manjeshwar. However, the state secretariat reportedly asked the district leadership to exercise caution while selecting a candidate in the constituency, warning that a wrong move could help BJP's K Surendran win the seat. Following this assessment, the district committee decided to recommend Jayananda as the party's candidate.IUML's AKM Ashraf had defeated Surendran by a narrow margin of 745 votes in 2021, while CPM's V V Rameshan won 23.6% of the votes.