India, May 4 -- Alankode Leelakrishnan, a well-known poet and cultural activist in Kerala's literary circles, has entered electoral politics with the Communist Party of India, fielding him as its candidate in the Assembly elections. His candidacy marks a notable transition from cultural activism within the Left movement to direct political participation.

He is contesting from the Thrissur constituency, where he faces a competitive contest against Padmaja Venugopal of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rajan J. Pallan of the Indian National Congress. The constituency has witnessed closely fought elections in recent years, with CPI's P. Balachandran winning the 2021 Assembly election by a narrow margin of 946 votes over Padmaja Venugopal.

Ala...