Thiruvanthapuram: Several senior CPM leaders are contesting this Kerala election as Congress candidates or Independents backed by the Congress-led United Democratic Front, fulfilling leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan’s promise of causing a "surprise".

The CPM was caught unawares when senior woman leader and three-term former MLA Aysha Potty joined the Congress and got the ticket to contest from the Kottarakkara seat. Satheesan claimed this was the first surprise from his kitty. However, the second expected surprise — that of bringing the Kerala Congress (Mani) into the Opposition fold — did not materialise.

Three senior CPM leaders — V. Kunhikrishnan, G. Sudhakaran and T.K. Govindan — are set to contest as UDF-supported Independents against their former party.

P.K. Sasi, another former MLA from the CPM, has joined the Congress and will contest the April 9 Assembly elections. "I've decided not to cause any more surprises. Else, Congress leaders would not have got an adequate number of seats to contest," Satheesan said.

State CPM secretary M.V. Govindan hit back saying the dissidents who had switched sides or were contesting as Independents were not going to achieve anything earth-shattering.

State Congress secretary John Venatius said never before in Kerala had so many CPM leaders openly challenged their party and crossed over to the Congress camp. "Satheesan's buzzword ('surprise') hogged the headlines. It definitely set the alarm bells ringing among the CPM leadership,” Venatius said.