KOCHI: Aiming to make an impact in its maiden electoral foray after joining the NDA, the Twenty20 has fielded actors and influencers as its candidates. The party has declared 12 candidates for the Assembly election, of which four are film personalities, and one is a social media influencer.
The party also sprang a surprise by naming Varghese George, son-in-law of former chief minister Oommen Chandy, as its candidate for Kodungallur constituency.
Announcing the candidates, Twenty 20 chairman Sabu M Jacob said the party will contest from 20 constituencies, of which nine are in Ernakulam district.
The party will field Actor Anjali Nair in the Tripunithura constituency, while actor Lakshmi Priya will contest from Perumbavoor. Actor and dancer Veena Nair will be the NDA candidate in Ettumannur, and social media influencer and business management professional Promy Kuriakose will contest from Angamaly.
"We have lined up fresh faces as candidates who have carved out their identity in the cultural sphere. In 2021, the Twenty20 contested from eight Assembly constituencies on its own, and we are contesting in 20 constituencies across the state as an ally of the NDA," Sabu told media persons on Tuesday.
An award-winning actress and a successful entrepreneur, Anjali has continuously reinvented herself, breaking barriers and defying expectations.
Anjali's acting career began with small roles and gradually blossomed into a series of critically acclaimed performances. Her portrayal of Asha Justin in the 2015 movie "Ben" earned her the Kerala State Film Award for the best character actress.
Anjali's performance in the Tamil film "Chithha" (2023) earned her the Filmfare Award for best supporting actress.
A dancer by profession, Lakshmi Priya was crowned Kalathilakam during her school days, and she has acted in around 245 movies crafted by legendary directors like Joshy, Satyan Anthikkad, Sibi Malayil and Kamal.
She is also the vice president of the actors' collective AMMA. Actor and dancer Veena Nair, who started her career as a Malayalam serial actor, has played important roles in Malayalam movies like Vellimoonga. She will contest from the Ettumanoor constituency.
A social media influencer, Promy Kuriakose, is a business administration professional and manages family-owned businesses, including hotels, jewellery and home appliances.
The other candidates include Varghese George (Kodungallur), Babu Divakaran (Kunnathunad), Charly Paul (Chalakudy), Jibi Abraham (Piravom), Akhil Marar (Thrikakara), Thomas K Samuel (Ranni), Ravi Kulangara (Thrikaripur) and Sunny Thomas (Thiruvambady).
The Twenty20 is hopeful of winning the Kunnathunad constituency with the support of the BJP. The party had polled 50,712 votes in the constituency in the recent local body polls.
While the UDF got 55,888 votes, the LDF was pushed to the third position with 43,014 votes. In the 2021 Assembly election, the Twenty20 had polled 41, 890 votes here. The BJP has around 8000 votes in the constituency. The Twenty20 leadership feels it will be easy to win the Kunnathunad constituency.