Congress names KS Sabrinath as candidate for Aruvikara bypoll

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress today decided to field K S Sabrinath, younger son of former assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan, as the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate for the June 27 Aruvikara Assembly bypoll.

Announcing the candidature of Sabrinath, KPCC President V M Sudheeran wanted all party workers to unitedly face the bypoll, which is crucial for UDF. With protests from some activists of Kerala Students Union surfacing, Sudheeran said "this is a bypoll, not college union elections".

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of Karthikeyan, who had represented the constituency five times.

Sabarinath, an engineer by profession, told reporters that he was 100 per cent confident of victory and would complete development activities started by his father. A section in the Congress was keen to field Karthikeyan's wife Dr M K Sulekha. However, after she expressed her inability to contest, the party decided to field her younger son, Sabarinath. Former Speaker and state minister, M Vijaykumar is the LDF candidate.