Thiruvananthapuram: A day after the Election Fee of India introduced the dates for the meeting polls, the BJP launched its preliminary listing of candidates for the Kerala elections.

The listing contains names for 47 constituencies, that includes Union Minister George Kurian and two former union ministers, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V. Muraleedharan. The listing additionally contains names of seven ladies, and 4 Christian candidates. Names for BJP’s key constituencies have additionally been introduced, the place the social gathering has excessive hopes and triangular contests are anticipated.

BJP can also be fielding retired IAS officer R. Sreelekha from Thiruvananthapuram’s Vattiyoorkavu, a constituency that can once more see a tricky battle between the sitting LDF MLA V. Okay. Prasanth and Sreelekha. The Congress candidate for the seat is almost certainly to be senior Congress chief Okay. Muraleedharan. At current, Sreelekha is a neighborhood physique counsellor from Thiruvananthapuram’s Shasthamangalam ward.

These three constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram, the place the BJP has a robust cadre and organisational equipment, can be tightly contested. The social gathering had additionally received the Thiruvananthapuram company for the primary time within the 2025 native physique polls.

A decent contest is anticipated in Palakkad, one other stronghold for the social gathering, the place Sobha Surendran is contesting. The Congress and LDF are but to announce their candidates for this seat. One other carefully fought contest is anticipated in Manjeshwaram in Kasaragod district. Former state president Okay. Surendran, who has been contesting from the seat unsuccessfully since 2011, misplaced the seat in 2016 by simply 89 votes. In 2021, the margin was 855 votes.

Equally, the social gathering is fielding Padmaja Venugopal, former Congress chief and the daughter of former chief minister Okay. Karunakaran, from Thrissur. The social gathering can also be fielding many fashionable faces reminiscent of retired Military officer and filmmaker Main Ravi in Ottappalam, C. Krishnakumar in Palakkad district’s Malampuzha, Shone George in Pala, P. C. George from his dwelling turf Poonjar, and Anil Antony from Thiruvalla.

Most of the candidates, together with Sobha Surendran, had already begun their marketing campaign final week.

The social gathering, which is aggressively making an attempt to increase its footprint throughout the state, is focusing its marketing campaign on the state’s improvement with the Centre’s help.

Speaking to the media, BJP state president Chandrasekhar mentioned the social gathering will focus on the problems that have an effect on individuals and their options. He mentioned the social gathering views this election as one for “change” from a politics of inflation and controversies, and from Jamaat-e-Islami, towards improvement.

“We’re not going to run a controversial marketing campaign. We wish to proceed a optimistic marketing campaign as a result of that’s what individuals need. All I wish to say is that the Left and Congress have dominated right here alternately. Within the subsequent 23 days, too, they are going to attempt to appeal to individuals’s consideration. What I’ve to say is that that is an election that can determine the state’s future, so the general public ought to ignore no matter they are saying,” Chandrasekhar mentioned. He additionally challenged political events to solely speak solely about improvement and run a “optimistic marketing campaign.”

(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)

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