BJP finalises list of 22 probable candidates in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP, which is yet to open its account in the Kerala Assembly, today finalised its first list of 22 probable candidates for the May 16 assembly polls.

While BJP state President Kummanam Rajasekharan will be making his electoral debut from Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram, former Union minister O Rajagopal will try his luck from Nemom.

Some of the other names which figure in the list are: K Surendran (Manjeshwaram), Shobha Surendran (Palakkad), C K Padmanabhan (Kunnamangalam), P K Sureedharan Pillai (Chengannur), M T Ramesh (Aranmula), V Muralidharan (Kazhakootam) and P K Krishnadas (Kattakada).

Aiming to make its presence felt in the bi-polar polity of Kerala, BJP had sewed by an alliance with the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a new party formed by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, a powerful organisation of backward Ezhava community, led by its General Secretary Vellappally Natesan.

The party, which has already begun seat sharing talks with BDJS, will again hold discussions on March 15, before giving a final shape to the candidates list.

Rajasekharan told reporters that on March 16, the state leaders will be leaving for Delhi for getting the clearance of the central election committee for its candidates list.

BJP, which has not yet won a single seat either to Parliament or the state assembly from Kerala, is hoping to give a tough fight to the two fronts-- ruling Congress-led UDF and LDF spearheaded by CPI-M, which have ruled the state alternatively.