Sitting MLA Mukesh To Contest Lok Sabha Elections From Kollam (image-facebook/Mukesh M)
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has fielded popular Mollywood actor and incumbent Kollam MLA Mukesh in the upcoming elections in the Kollam Lok Sabha constituency, in a strategic move aimed at reclaiming the coveted seat in South Kerala.
Renowned for his contributions to both cinema and politics, the 67-year-old has been a pivotal figure within the Left Democractic Front (LDF) in Kerala.
Born on 5 March, 1957, the actor made his onscreen debut in the 1982 film Balloon in a minor role. By 1990s, he had carved a place for himself in the film industry as a lead actor with a long list of successful films. However, politics was always in his blood. His father, O Madhavan, was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Kerala, apart from being a theatre actor and director.
Following his father’s footsteps, Mukesh turned to politics in the year 2016 and was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from the constituency of Kollam. After the CPI-M-led LDF announced his candidature, Mukesh went on to secure his place that year.
Repeating his win in 2021 as well, Mukesh was reelected from the Kollam assembly seat securing over 58,000 votes after beating Indian National Congress candidate Bindu Krishna by a small margin.
Now, he has been put forth as the CPI-M candidate for the Kollam Lok Sabha constituency. The decision comes amidst efforts to wrest the seat from NK Premachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), a former ally turned opponent of the LDF.
According to reports, the CPI-M”s district secretariat body, led by Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal, has reportedly endorsed Mukesh”s nomination, citing his public appeal as an actor.
Amongst several controversies, the actor-turned-politician was accused of sexual harassment by a Mumbai-based casting director during the MeToo movement. Revealing the details on X (formerly known as Twitter), the woman had alleged that the incident, taken place nearly 19 years ago at the time of the accusations, had occurred during a show hosted by Mukesh while she was the only woman in the crew, as per a report in Scroll.in. Although Mukesh has refuted the allegations stating, “someone may have misguided the complainant.” No further action was taken on the matter.
N. K. Premchandran had won the 2019 general elections with a record margin of 1.5 lakh votes, defeating CPI-M candidate K. N. Balagopal and had been instrumental in overturning the Sabarimala verdict through introducing a private member bill. With a tough competition like that, it remains to be seen if Mukesh would be able to translate his Assembly election wins in the Kollam Lok Sabha constituency as well.
