Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 16 (ANI): Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday hailed the party’s inaugural list of 47 candidates for the Assembly elections set to be held next month in the State.
Speaking to ANI, Chandrasekhar extended gratitude to the party over his candidature from the Nemom constituency, adding that today’s announcement showcases the seriousness of BJP for polls in Kerala.
The former Union Minister further called the list “well represented”, where he informed that a serving Union Minister, two former ministers, two former party state chiefs and four candidates from the Christian community are contesting the election.
“Today’s announcement of the first list of 47 candidates shows how serious we are about this election. There is a serving Central minister and two former ministers, two former presidents of the party, seven members from the SC community and four from Christian candidates who are contesting this election. This is a very well-represented list of candidates. In the political history of Kerala, this is the most decisive election. I am really honoured to get the opportunity to contest…I start my campaign today with a roadshow and meeting voters,” the Kerala BJP chief said.
The BJP released its first list of 47 candidates, a day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that the State will vote on April 9 in a single phase. Apart from Chandrasekhar, other prominent names in the BJP list are George Kurian, V Muraleedharan, K Surendran and Navya Haridas.
Union Minister George Kurian has been named a candidate from Kanjirappally. V Muraleedharan will contest from Kazhakoottam, while Navya Haridas will contest from Kozhikode North. Former Kerala BJP president K Surendran will contest from Manjeshwar seat.
Counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4.
The Model Code of Conduct is now in place till the voting takes place to the 140-member State Assembly, which is also known as the Kerala Niyamasabha.
The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23. The last date for filing nominations is March 23, with scrutiny of nominations on March 24 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures on March 26. (ANI)