Top developments to watch out for from Kerala

Key news developments to watch out for from Kerala today

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will share the stage with dissident Congress veteran K. V. Thomas at the Left Democratic Front (LDF) convention for the Thrikkakara Assembly by-election in Ernakulam.

Mr. Thomas had stepped out of the party line by publicly aligning himself with the Communist Party of India's (Marxist) [CPI(M)] governance agenda, thereby opening the door for possible expulsion from Congress. The leader, who claims to have a firm base among the numerically significant Christian community in the Thrikkakara constituency, had declared for the LDF's "development plan" in the run-up to the pivotal by-polls on May 31.

A special court in Kochi will hear a plea by the Crime Branch to cancel the bail of actor Dileep in the 2017 actor abduction and rape case. The investigating agency had accused Mr. Dileep of tampering with evidence and attempting to influence prosecution witnesses.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall in four districts in Kerala. It has a sounded a yellow alert in Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Malappuram. Weather experts have attributed the current spell of rains to Cyclone Asani, which recently made landfall over Andhra Pradesh.

The district authorities in Thrissur are likely to announce new timings for the fabled pooram fireworks, which were put off for two days owing to heavy rain.

Congress and Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP) aligned KSRTC employees' trade unions will hold token protests at operations centres across Kerala to protest the delay in disbursing their salaries.

Health Minister Veena George will hold forth on Kerala's experience tackling the Nipah outbreak at a workshop on infectious diseases in Kozhikode.