CPI-M may field veteran actress Lalitha in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, March 13  The CPI-M is likely to field popular Malayalam actress K.P.A.C. Lalitha as a Left-supported independent candidate in the May 16 assembly polls in Kerala, sources said on Sunday.

A source said the day-long CPI-M meeting that was busy finalising the list of candidates zeroed down on Lalitha who will be fielded from a constituency in Thrissur.

The 69-year-old Lalitha began her career through the hugely popular Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) -- the pioneer in performing arts and the oldest theatre group in Kerala -- and that is how her name got the prefix.

She entered the film industry in 1969 and since then has been a regular. She has acted in more than 600 films and continues to be very active.

Her husband was the acclaimed award-winning director Bharathan, who passed away in 1998. Their son Siddarth is a budding director.

Lalitha is likely to take on former Congress chief minister K. Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja Venugopal, who is on the list of probables from a constituency in Thrissur.