LS polls: BJP fields state chief Surendran against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Announcing candidates for the remaining four seats in Kerala, the BJP has fielded its state chief K Surendran in the high-profile Wayanad constituency against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Scholar and former vice-chancellor of Sree Sankara Sanskrit University, K S Radhakrishnan, and actor-turned-politician G Krishnakumar will contest from the Ernakulam and Kollam constituencies respectively, the party announced on Sunday.
T N Sarasu, former government college principal, would seek electoral luck from Alathur in the northern Palakkad district.
The BJP is striving to break the decades-old bipolar politics dominated by the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala.
The party had earlier announced the candidates for 12 seats. Its ally BDJS will contest four seats in the state.
With the surprise candidature of Surendran in Wayanad, a traditional Congress bastion, the BJP is trying to give a fitting reply to its opponents by fielding a strong candidate against Rahul Gandhi. CPI's Annie Raja is the candidate of the state's ruling Left in the constituency.
Surendran, the face of the saffron party's fierce agitations against the entry of young women into Sabarimala years ago, has been serving as the president of the state unit of the BJP since 2020.
Hailing from Ulleyeri in Kozhikode district, Kunnummel Surendran, who began his career as Wayanad district president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, had unsuccessfully contested from Pathanamthitta in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Though he was fielded from Konni in the assembly bypoll in the same year, he couldn't make it.
Known as a close confidant of Union Minister V Muraleedharan, Surendran lost the Manjeswaram constituency by a mere 89 votes in the 2016 Assembly polls.
A well-known scholar, writer, orator, and academician, K S Radhakrishnan joined the BJP in 2019.
He served as the vice-chancellor of Sree Sankara Sanskrit University in Kalady and the chairman of the state Public Service Commission during the tenures of the
Congress-led UDF governments in the state before beginning his political career.
He unsuccessfully contested from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Fifty-five-year-old G Krishnakumar is an actor-turned-politician and is currently a national council member of the BJP.
In 2021, Krishnakumar contested on the BJP ticket to the state assembly from Thiruvananthapuram.
T N Sarasu, a former government college principal who hit headlines over her confrontations with the Left student union, will contest from Alathur to take on sitting MP and Congress leader Remya Haridas and State Devaswom Minister and senior CPI(M) leader K Radhakrishnan.
Kerala's 20 Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls on April 26.
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PM leads mega roadshow in Sikkim, to attend celebrations marking 50 years of statehood on Tuesday
Gangtok (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a mega roadshow in Gangtok on Monday evening after arriving in Sikkim to attend the closing ceremony of 50 years of statehood celebrations.
Modi, who wore a traditional Bhutia cap and a Lepcha coat, was received at the Libing helipad by Governor Om Prakash Mathur and Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang.
From the helipad, the PM began the roadshow, which concluded at Lok Bhavan, where he will stay overnight.
On the open vehicle, Modi was flanked by CM Tamang on his left and state BJP president D R Thapa on his right.
Large crowds lined the roads for hours, waving national flags and waiting to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister.
As his convoy moved slowly through the city, people broke into celebrations. Some enthusiastic supporters chanted "Modi, Modi, Modi", while a few women were seen showering flower petals in his direction.
Modi acknowledged the cheering crowds by waving continuously.
Tamang was also seen urging the gathered people to cheer for the PM during the roadshow.
The route of the roadshow was decorated, with arch gates erected at several points and large cut-outs of Modi placed along the roads.
On Tuesday, Modi will visit the Orchidarium in Gangtok. To commemorate the golden jubilee of Sikkim's statehood and showcase the state's ecological and floral heritage, the 'Swarnajayanti Maitri Manjari' Park has been developed as a world-class Orchid Experience Centre.
The PM will also participate in the closing ceremony of Sikkim's 50th statehood celebrations at Paljor Stadium, where he will unveil development projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore.
The projects cover several sectors, including infrastructure, connectivity, healthcare, education, power, urban development, environment, tourism and agriculture.
Modi is also scheduled to address the gathering on the occasion.
He was expected to attend the opening ceremony of the year-long celebrations last year, but could not reach the venue due to inclement weather. However, he addressed the event virtually from Siliguri in neighbouring West Bengal.
Tamang later thanked the people for giving the grand reception to the PM during the hour-long roadshow in the state capital.
"With immense fervour and heartfelt enthusiasm, the people of Sikkim accorded a grand and resounding welcome to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji on his arrival in Gangtok," he said in a social media post.
Tamang said people from all walks of life gathered in large numbers to greet him, reflecting the deep respect and warm affection the people of Sikkim hold for his leadership.
"It was indeed an honour to join him during the roadshow and witness the overwhelming love and support of the people firsthand," he said.
