BJP releases first list of 47 candidates for Kerala Assembly polls

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: Union minister George Kurian and former Union ministers Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V Muraleedharan are among the 47 candidates announced by the BJP in its first list for the Kerala Assembly elections.

Fielding a mix of senior leaders and new faces as it prepares for the April 9 polls, the party is hoping to end its electoral drought in the state, where politics has traditionally been dominated by the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF.

Among the prominent names in the list are Kurian, Chandrasekhar and Muraleedharan, along with senior leaders K Surendran, Sobha Surendran, P C George, Padmaja Venugopal, P K Krishnadas, former director general of police R Sreelekha and filmmaker Major Ravi.

Chandrasekhar will contest from the Nemom Assembly constituency, while Muraleedharan has been fielded from Kazhakkoottam, both key constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Nemom is the only constituency in Kerala that has so far been won by the BJP, when O Rajagopal won the seat in the 2016 Assembly election.

The BJP has now fielded its state president Chandrasekhar from Nemom, hoping to regain the seat in the election.

Kurian will contest from the Kanjirappally constituency in Kottayam district. The seat is considered significant for the BJP as it seeks to expand its presence in Christian-dominated central Kerala constituencies in the election.

Veteran politician George will contest from the Poonjar Assembly constituency in Kottayam district, while Surendran is contesting from the Manjeshwar constituency in Kasaragod district.

Sreelekha has been nominated from Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram, while Padmaja Venugopal will contest from Thrissur.