Kerala Assembly polls: Veteran Malayalam actress bows out as state CPI-M protest against her candidature

Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran Malayalam actress KPAC Lalitha on Monday said she is not keen to contest the upcoming Assembly polls in Kerala on a CPI-M ticket, the remark coming on the heels of protests over her candidature.

"I am not keen to contest the elections due to health reasons and cinema commitments," she told reporters at Wadakancherry, the constituency from she was expected to contest the May 16 polls.

She insisted, however, that she was not withdrawing due to the protests by some party workers. She added that she has already informed the party about her decision.

On Sunday, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists had taken out a protest march in Wadakancherry against the CPI-M's proposed move to field the 69-year-old actress. Earlier, posters appeared in various parts of the constituency against her candidature.

Meanwhile, CPI-M politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters at Kozhikode on Monday that the party was considering fielding her from Wadakancherry if she was prepared to contest.

"We will only be too happy to put her up as our candidate.

Candidates like Lalitha will help improve the party's image," he said.