The CPI (M) Thiruvananthapuram district committee has decided to field former Kerala Assembly speaker M Vijayakumar as its candidate for the Aruvikkara Assembly segment bypoll. Vijayakumar's name was doing the rounds as the possible candidate from the beginning. It is learnt that high popularity among the voters worked out in favour of Vijayakumar's selection, a native of Aruvikkara.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF is yet to announce its candidate for the bypoll. Though several Congress leaders have been persuading late Congress leader G Karthikeyan's wife Sulekha to contest the bypoll, she is yet to take a call.
The bypoll was announced following the demise of Karthikeyan, who was the Assembly speaker then. By-election to the Aruvikkara Assembly segment will be held on June 27 and the results will be announced on June 30.
