THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The BJP on Sunday released its preliminary list of 22 candidates for the May 16 Assembly polls. BJP state general secretary K Surendran will contest from Manjeswaram, trashing reports that he would be fielded in Thiruvananthapuram. Another senior leader, party national executive member Shobha Surendran, will fight the poll battle from Palakkad. BJP's Palakkad district committee had reportedly opposed her candidature.
Seat-sharing talks with Vellappally Natesan's Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) will be held on Tuesday, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said after the party's election committee meeting here.
The full list of candidates will be announced in New Delhi after the state unit submits the list to the BJP parliamentary board on Wednesday, he said.
"We have exchanged lists with BDJS. Several organisations have joined the NDA, and more are expected to join in the days ahead,'' Kummanam Rajasekharan, who will be contesting the elections from Vattiyoorkavu, said. In fact, Rajasekharan and three of the party's top leaders will be contesting from Thiruvananthapuram; O Rajagopal from Nemom, former president V Muraleedharan from Kazhakootam and another former president P K Krishnadas from Kattakada.