Revolutionary Socialist Party leader N K Premachandran is in the electoral fray with a proven track record. He already scripted four victories in Kollam Lok Sabha seat and had also served as a Rajya Sabha MP.
He had also won the Kerala Assembly election from Chavara in Kollam and served as water resources minister in Kerala. He is a good orator and a good parliamentarian.
His skills as a parliamentarian was widely discussed recently as Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited him for lunch along with a few others, cutting across party lines.
The 63-year-old leader is considered to have a strong influence among all sections of voters in Kollam, including a section of pro-left followers too.
An actor-turned politician, Mukesh is a sitting MLA of Kollam for the second time in a row. He is a native of Kollam and the son of a known theatre director and actor O Madhavan.
The 67-year-old MLA often invited criticism of his absence in Kollam constituency, which could be due to his busy film schedules too. His victory margin in the 2021 Assembly election came down to 2,072 from 17,611 in 2016.
By fielding him as the candidate for Kollam, the CPM hopes to cash in on his profile as a known film actor who often did positive roles only and won many awards.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks