Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI-M believes in the politics of violence, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.

He was addressing a small group yesterday night ahead of the by-election in the Aruvikara assembly constituency on Saturday.

"The CPI-M is more interested in indulging in violence. They undermine every development activity," Chandy said.

The election was necessitated after Congress leader and Speaker G. Karthikeyan died in March. His younger son, K.S. Sabarinathan, 31, quit a plum job and entered the fray.

The Congress party got a boost when the SNDP, which represents the Hindu Ezhava group, backed Sabarinathan.

Sabarinathan is pitted against his father's old political foe, M. Vijayakumar of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, a former Speaker.

In his debut election in 1987, Vijayakumar defeated Karthikeyan but from a different constituency.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded former Union Minister O. Rajagopal who, if he wins, will be the party's first representative in the Kerala assembly.

Superstar Suresh Gopi, Chairman designate of the National Film Development Corporation, hit the campaign trail in Aruvikara on Tuesday, asking the electorate to elect Rajagopal, 85.

(IANS)