Thiruvananthapuram, February 18: The Kerala BJP leadership has accelerated preparations for the upcoming assembly elections by compiling an initial shortlist of candidates for 35 constituencies. This potential list, created during a meeting of the state election committee, will be forwarded to the central leadership, where three names will be considered for each seat.
While changes may still occur in some constituencies, prominent figures are already playing their roles on the ground. State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar is set to contest from Nemom, which has recently become a stronghold for the party.
Central Minister V. Muraleedharan is likely to run from Kazhakkuttam, while former state chief K. Surendran has been directed to Mangalore following internal discussions.
Among the names proposed for the 35 seats are Shobha Surendran, M.T. Suresh, C. Krishnakumar, actor G. Krishnakumar, R. Shilekha, and Karmana Jayan.
The BJP’s only victory in Kerala’s 140-member assembly came in 2016 when veteran leader O. Rajagopal secured the Nemom seat. However, in 2021, this seat shifted to CPI(M), with Congress finishing third.
In the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP garnered 12.41% of the votes, a figure that surged to 19.24% in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, largely due to actor Suresh Gopi’s unexpected win from Thrissur.
Despite this momentum, the local body elections held in December showed uneven results. The BJP managed to capture the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation for the first time, but its statewide vote share dropped to 14.71%.
In this context, the leadership is exercising caution regarding formal announcements, aiming to coordinate with announcements from other election-bound states.
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