K Surendran’s prospects look bleak as Pillai, Thushar to bag strong turfs

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP’s Sabarimala campaign face

K Surendran

is almost certain to be relegated to a weaker constituency as party state president P S Sreedharan Pillai and BDJS supremo Thushar Vellappally are set to share between them Pathanamtitta and Thrissur constituencies. NDA considers these constituencies their strong turfs after Thiruvananthapuram where Kummanam Rajasekharan is considered.


The BJP list of candidates was not announced on Monday as no serious deliberations could take place in New Delhi following the demise of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. According to sources, Surendran has been tipped as candidate from

Attingal

seat to which the party state leadership had earlier considered BJP’s former state president P K Krishnadas and general secretary Sobha Surendran. Both Krishna Das and Sobha Surendran were unwilling to contest from the seat. Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam and BJP state general secretary M T Ramesh too had staked claim, unsuccessfully, for

Pathanamthitta

seat.

BDJS supremo Thushar Vellappally is learnt to have agreed to contest from Thrissur seat with the tacit support of SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan, who had been visibly vocal against his son Thushar contesting in the election. The BJP list is expected to be announced in New Delhi on Tuesday. The BDJS is also likely to announce its list of candidates the same day.