names from Jammu & Kashmir were included in the 'first list' of candidates released by the CPI(M) Central Committee. In October 2013 CPI(M), CPI, Lok Janshakti Party, Samajwadi Party, People's Democratic Front, J&K National Democratic Front and International Democratic Party founded a new alliance, the J&K People's United Front with CPI(M) J&K State Committee secretary Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami as convenor. On 2 April 2014 the People's United Front decided not to contest the Lok Sabha polls. Jharkhand During a visit to Ranchi on 10 March 2014, Politburo member Brinda Karat declared that CPI(M) would contest as part of a Left Front consisting of CPI(M), CPI, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation and the Marxist Coordination Committee. Within the framework of this seat sharing CPI(M) would put up candidates in Rajmahal and Ranchi, whilst CPI would contest Dumka, Hazaribagh and Chatra, CPI(ML) would contest Koderma and MCC would field a candidate in Dhanbad. Karat also stated that further seats could be contested as well by the front. However, the following day the CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary stated that whilst they would support CPI(M) in Rajmahal and MCC in Dhanbad, their party would field a candidate as well in Ranchi. Both CPI(M) candidates in the state are former Members of Legislative Assembly. Karnataka In reaction to the failure of other non-Congress/non-BJP parties in the state, particularly the Janata Dal (Secular), to reach a seat-sharing agreement three left parties (CPI(M), CPI and the All India Forward Bloc) to launch five candidates of their own. As per the CPI(M), it announced two candidates in the state. G.V. Srirama Reddy is the secretary of the Karnataka State Committee of the party and a former Member of Legislative Assembly for the Bagepalli constituency. K. Yadav Shetty is a CPI(M) District Secretariat member and an agrarian leader. He is the general secretary of the district-level unit of the Karnataka Pranta Rajya Sangha and a secretary of its statewide leadership, leading resistance against the proposed HPCL pipeline project in the area. Kerala In Kerala CPI(M) contests elections as a constituent of the Left Democratic Front. In the list of the 15 CPI(M) candidates in Kerala released in mid-March were four incumbent Lok Sabha members and five independents. The CPI(M)-backed independents included the actor Innocent, former All India Congress Committee member Peelipose Thomas, the church-backed High Range Protection Committee leader Joice George and former Gujarat cadre IAS officer