Kerala Chief Minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran V S Achuthanandan filed his nomination papers for contesting the assembly elections from his sitting seat Malampuzha in Palakkad district on Thursday. Achuthanandan filed his papers before the joint registrar (co-operatives) A N Pradeepraj, who is the returning officer for the segment.

The 87-year-old stalwart is seeking election from the CPI-M bastion for the third consecutive time. Achuthanandan, who is the pivot of the Left Democratic Front, has been campaigning in the northern districts for the last three days. He was accompanied by former Lok Sabha member N N Krishnadas and party functionaries from the area when he went for filing the nomination.

The Congress has chosen a 46-year-old woman leader Lathika Subhash to take on Achuthanandan, who is a debutant in the poll arena.  

Meanwhile, Sindhu Joy, the national vice president of Students' Federation of India resigned from the CPI-M on Thursday. Sindhu told mediapersons that she had resigned because she felt ignored by the party leadership. Sindhu said she would continue to be in public life. A Congress source indicated that the party may use her to launch a verbal attack against the CPI-M throughout the state.

Sindhu, who has been in the forefront of several struggles organised by the SFI during the previous United Democratic Front regime, was seriously injured after a stun grenade hurled by the police hit her legs. Following this incident, she was in crutches for around two years.