Thiruvananthapuram: A day after the Election Commission of India announced the dates for the assembly polls, the BJP released its initial list of candidates for the Kerala elections.
The list includes names for 47 constituencies, featuring Union Minister George Kurian and two former union ministers, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V. Muraleedharan. The list also includes names of seven women, and four Christian candidates. Names for BJP’s key constituencies have also been announced, where the party has high hopes and triangular contests are anticipated.
BJP is fielding its state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram’s Nemom constituency against LDF candidate and general education minister V. Sivankutty. Nemom is the BJP’s sole constituency in Kerala where it won in the state in 2016 with O. Rajagopal. However, Sivankutty wrested it back in 2021. Similarly, Kazhakkoottam, another constituency in the district, will also see a fierce battle between former Union minister V. Muraleedharan and senior CPI(M) leader and former minister Kadakampally Surendran.
BJP is also fielding retired IAS officer R. Sreelekha from Thiruvananthapuram’s Vattiyoorkavu, a constituency that will again see a tough battle between the sitting LDF MLA V. K. Prasanth and Sreelekha. The Congress candidate for the seat is most likely to be senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan. At present, Sreelekha is a local body counsellor from Thiruvananthapuram’s Shasthamangalam ward.
These three constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram, where the BJP has a strong cadre and organisational machinery, will be tightly contested. The party had also won the Thiruvananthapuram corporation for the first time in the 2025 local body polls.
A tight contest is expected in Palakkad, another stronghold for the party, where Sobha Surendran is contesting. The Congress and LDF are yet to announce their candidates for this seat. Another closely fought contest is expected in Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod district. Former state president K. Surendran, who has been contesting from the seat unsuccessfully since 2011, lost the seat in 2016 by just 89 votes. In 2021, the margin was 855 votes.
Similarly, the party is fielding Padmaja Venugopal, former Congress leader and the daughter of former chief minister K. Karunakaran, from Thrissur. The party is also fielding many popular faces such as retired Army officer and filmmaker Major Ravi in Ottappalam, C. Krishnakumar in Palakkad district’s Malampuzha, Shone George in Pala, P. C. George from his home turf Poonjar, and Anil Antony from Thiruvalla.
Many of the candidates, including Sobha Surendran, had already begun their campaign last week.
The party, which is aggressively trying to expand its footprint across the state, is focusing its campaign on the state’s development with the Centre’s support.
Talking to the media, BJP state president Chandrasekhar said the party will discuss the issues that affect people and their solutions. He said the party views this election as one for “change” from a politics of inflation and controversies, and from Jamaat-e-Islami, toward development.
“We are not going to run a controversial campaign. We want to continue a positive campaign because that’s what people want. All I want to say is that the Left and Congress have ruled here alternately. In the next 23 days, too, they will try to attract people’s attention. What I have to say is that this is an election that will decide the state’s future, so the public should ignore whatever they say,” Chandrasekhar said. He also challenged political parties to only talk only about development and run a “positive campaign.”
(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)