Thiruvananthapuram, 19 March (H.S.):The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to release its second list of candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections later today, following crucial deliberations held in New Delhi on Wednesday night.

According to party sources, the BJP’s Central Election Committee meeting finalised candidates for several constituencies, including those where internal disagreements had persisted. The high-level meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J.P. Nadda, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP C. Sadanandan, and party in-charge for Kerala Prakash Javadekar.

Indications suggest that senior leader Kummanam Rajasekharan is likely to be fielded, with Aranmula and Thiruvananthapuram Central emerging as probable constituencies for his candidature. Meanwhile, it is learnt that M.T. Ramesh may not contest this time and could instead take up a key role in leading the party’s campaign.

In Adoor, Asha Nath is expected to be the BJP’s candidate, though an official confirmation is awaited. Sources also indicate that if Kummanam does not contest from Aranmula, the seat may be allotted to the BDJS as part of alliance arrangements.

The BJP has reportedly decided to contest 96 seats in Kerala, while allocating 24 seats to its ally BDJS and 20 seats to Twenty20. Of the 96 seats, candidates for 47 constituencies have already been announced in the first list.

Party leaders said the second list will cover most of the remaining constituencies, although discussions are still ongoing for around 10 seats where consensus has yet to be reached.

The BJP is aiming to field strong and winnable candidates in key constituencies to ensure a triangular contest across the state. The leadership is also focusing on identifying popular and grassroots-level faces to expand the party’s electoral footprint in Kerala.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman