Thiruvananthapuram | Senior CPI (M) leader and Kerala Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishan, CPI national executive member Annie Raja and BJP national secretary Anil Antony were among the prominent contestants who filed their nominations in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Wednesday.

While Radhakrishnan is contesting from Alathur in northern Palakkad district, Raja and Antony are fielded in Wayanad and Pathanamthitta constituencies, respectively. Kerala will go to polls on April 26.

Sitting Congress MPs Rajmohan Unnithan and Benny Behannan, who will contest again from Kasaragod and Chalakudy, respectively, CPI (M) nominee in Ernakulam constituency K J Shine and LDF candidate in Ponnani K S Hamsa also filed the nominations today morning.

Senior IUML leader and sitting MP E T Mohammed Basheer who changed his constituency to Malappuram this time, also filed the nomination before the district collector, given that there is just one day left for the deadline.

Minister Radhakrishnan was accompanied by his cabinet colleagues M B Rajesh and K Krishnankutty and other prominent leaders of the Palakkad district when he arrived to file the nomination papers.

Shine, a first-timer in the parliamentary elections, exuded confidence about her victory and said her years-long experience of working at the grassroots level would help to win the hearts of voters.

"The guarantee of the LDF is to ensure a socio-political and financial situation in the country to lead a peaceful life enjoying the rights guaranteed by the Constitution," she told reporters later.

The last date for filing nomination papers is April 4, the Election Commission notification for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls said.

The nominations would be scrutinised on April 5, and April 8 is the last date for withdrawal, the notification said.

The Lok Sabha polls across the country are scheduled to be held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.