The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has been forced to replace its candidate from the Padivattom division of the Kochi Corporation after Sini George, the previously announced candidate, backed out citing ill health.
She has been replaced by Shiny Anilkumar, who has been active in the division as the Area Development Society chairperson for the past 15 years. Ms. George, who runs an Akshaya centre in the division, has been undergoing treatment for an infection for over a month, during which she was also hospitalised for five days. Since her candidature was announced last week, she managed to visit only a few households before becoming exhausted.
The billboards announcing her candidacy that had been placed in different parts of the division were also taken down after she opted out of the race. “The doctor has advised rest and avoiding exposure to the sun. I also have to take care of my aged parents, who have been unwell recently,” Ms. George said.
CPI(M) local committee sources said that replacing the candidate at the last minute became inevitable considering her health. “The division is one of the largest in the Corporation, with nearly 8,000 households. The campaign will involve covering these households at least twice before the election, which could be a tall task,” said a party office-bearer.
The party, however, remains confident in the replacement candidate. The new Padivattom division, numbered 37, was formed by merging the previous division 41, also named Padivattom, in its entirety along with portions of two other divisions. Ms. Anilkumar has long been active at the grassroots level in the former division 41.
The United Democratic Front has fielded Shiby Soman of the Congress from the division, which was represented by LDF councillor R. Ratheesh during the last term. This time, the division has been reserved for women. The National Democratic Alliance has assigned the division to its ally Bharath Dharma Jana Sena, which is yet to announce a candidate.
Published – November 17, 2025 08:14 pm IST
