The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 47 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9. The 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly will see votes counted on May 4, with the majority mark set at 70. The list includes three former Union ministers, signaling the party’s ambition to expand its presence in the southern state.
BJP Kerala Chief and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar will contest from the Nemom constituency. Despite losing the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to three-time MP Shashi Tharoor, Chandrasekhar led in the Nemom Assembly segment, giving the party confidence to field him there. Nemom holds political significance for the BJP, having been the site of its first Assembly win in Kerala in 2016 by veteran leader O. Rajagopal.
The constituency, however, returned to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in 2021 when Sivankutty defeated senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan. The party’s historic win in the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation recently has invigorated its cadre, fueling hopes that Kerala is no longer impenetrable for the national party.
Also Read: DMK Allots Two Seats to KMDK Amid Friction With Congress Ahead of Tamil Nadu Polls
Another former Union Minister, V Muraleedharan, will contest from Kazhakoottam, while George Kurian, also a former Union Minister, will stand from Kanjirappally. Other notable candidates include PC George from Poonjar, R Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu, and Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur.
The BJP has fielded women leaders in key constituencies as well: Sobha Surebdran will contest from Palakkad, Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North, and Kavitha KS from Sulthanbathery, a reserved constituency. Reserved seats for Scheduled Castes include Raji Prasad in Kunnathur and R Rashmi in Kottarakkara.
Kerala’s political landscape has traditionally alternated between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). While the LDF broke the pattern by winning consecutive terms in 2021 under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the BJP is emerging as a formidable challenger, seeking to convert growing vote share into Assembly representation.
Also Read: Kolkata Awaits PM Modi: BJP Prepares for Mega Crowd Ahead of Elections