Thiruvananthapuram: A day after the Election Fee of India introduced the schedule for the meeting polls, the BJP introduced its preliminary listing of candidates for the Kerala elections.
The listing consists of names of 47 constituencies and options union minister George Kurian and two former union ministers Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V Muraleedharan. The listing additionally consists of the names of seven ladies and 4 Christian candidates. The names of key constituencies for the BJP have additionally been introduced and the celebration has excessive expectations, with a triangular election anticipated.
The BJP is fielding state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram’s Nemom constituency, together with LDF candidate and normal schooling minister V Sivankutty. Nemom is the BJP’s solely constituency in Kerala, which was gained by O. Rajagopal in 2016. Nevertheless, Sivankutty gained again this constituency in 2021. Equally, Kazhakoottam, one other constituency in the identical constituency, will witness a fierce contest between former Union minister V Muraleedharan and senior CPI(M) chief and former minister Kadakampally Surendran.
The BJP has additionally fielded former IAS officer R. Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram, however this constituency will as soon as once more see a tricky battle between sitting LDF MLA VK Prasanth and Sreelekha. The Congress candidate for a similar seat is most certainly to be senior Congress chief Okay. Muraleedharan. At the moment, Sreelekha is a neighborhood physique counselor in Thiruvananthapuram’s Shasthamangalam district.
These three constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram, the place the BJP has a powerful cadre and organizational construction, can be intently contested. The celebration additionally gained the Thiruvananthapuram company for the primary time within the 2025 native physique polls.
A detailed race is anticipated in Palakkad, one other stronghold of the celebration the place Sobha Surendran is contesting. The Congress and the Liberal Democratic Celebration haven’t but introduced a candidate for this seat. One other shut contest is anticipated in Manjeswaram in Kasaragod district. Former state president Okay. Surendran has been contesting from the seat since 2011 when he misplaced the seat in 2016 by a margin of simply 89 votes. As of 2021, the distinction was 855 votes.
Equally, the celebration has fielded Padmaja Venugopal, a former Congress chief from Thrissur and daughter of former state chief minister Okay. Karunakaran. The celebration additionally has quite a few fashionable names together with retired military officer and movie director Main Ravi from Ottappalam, C Krishnakumar from Malampuzha in Palakkad district, Shaun George from Pala, PC George from Poonjyar dwelling base and Anil Antony from Tiruvalla.
Most of the candidates, together with Sobha Surendran, had already begun campaigning final week.
The celebration, which is aggressively making an attempt to develop its attain throughout the state, is focusing its marketing campaign on the event of the state with help from the Centre.
Bharatiya Janata Celebration President Chandrasekhar advised the media that the celebration will focus on points affecting individuals and their options. The celebration stated it seen the election as one that will convey a couple of “change” away from politics of inflation and competition and away from Jamaat-e-Islami in direction of improvement.
“We’re not going to run a controversial marketing campaign. We need to keep it up a optimistic marketing campaign as a result of that’s what the individuals need. What I’m saying is that the Left and the Congress have been ruling right here alternately. For the following 23 days too, they are going to be making an attempt to seize individuals’s consideration. What I’ve to say is that that is an election that may resolve the way forward for the nation, so individuals ought to ignore what they’re saying,” Chandrasekhar stated. He additionally known as on political events to solely discuss improvement and run “optimistic campaigns”.
(Edited by Vidhi Butra)
Additionally learn: Kerala mayoral election ballot: Darkish clouds over inner battle; publish anticipating Congress-led UDF victory, Thrissur claims to have been ‘bought’
