Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 22 (IANS): The CPI in Kerala has almost finalised its list of candidates for the general elections and it has emerged that Annie Raja would be taking on Rahul Gandhi, sitting Lok Sabha member, in Wayanad. The Kannur-born Annie is the wife of CPI General Secretary D Raja and therefore it would be like friends in Delhi and foes in Wayanad.

This will be Annie Raja’s first electoral battle in Kerala and she has been pitted against Rahul Gandhi who won a landslide victory in Wayanad in the 2019 polls with the highest margin in the state of 4.31 lakh votes.

The official announcement is expected to be made in a few days.

Incidentally a row had broken out after the national leadership of the CPI in September decided to convey to the Congress party that as the CPI was a part of the INDIA block, Rahul Gandhi should not contest from Wayanad.

However, this was met with stiff resistance from the CPI-M-led Left and the CPI dropped the idea.

However, the CPI seems to be in a mood to give the Congress a fight and it has brought in 78-year-old Pannyan Raveendran, their veteran former state Secretary and Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram, to take on the mighty and flamboyant Congress Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor, who has already won thrice from that seat.

Former state Agriculture Minister VS Sunilkumar will be taking on TN Prathapan, sitting Congress MP from the Thrissur seat and CA Arun Kumar will be taking on Congress veteran and seven-time sitting Mavelikera Lok Sabha member Kodikunnil Suresh.

The CPI will officially announce this list in the next few days after getting it cleared at the national level.