The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday released its first lists of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala, naming 144 nominees in Bengal and 47 in Kerala as it intensified preparations following the announcement of the poll schedule.
In West Bengal, the party fielded Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari from two constituencies-Nandigram and Bhowanipore, setting the stage for a potential high-profile electoral contest with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Adhikari had defeated Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly elections, marking one of the most closely watched political battles in the state. Banerjee later returned to the Assembly through a by-election from Bhowanipore, a seat she has represented since 2011.
The BJP’s decision to field Adhikari from Bhowanipore, widely considered Banerjee’s political stronghold in south Kolkata, is being seen as a direct challenge to the ruling Trinamool Congress ahead of the polls.
Another prominent name on the list is former state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, who has been fielded again from Kharagpur Sadar, the seat he won in the 2016 Assembly election.
Also read: ECI announces Assembly poll schedule for 4 states, Puducherry
The party released the Bengal list within 24 hours of the Election Commission of India announcing the election schedule, signalling an early push to consolidate its campaign in the politically crucial state.
In Kerala, the BJP named state president and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar as its candidate from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram district. Nemom remains the only Assembly constituency the BJP has won in Kerala, after the party secured the seat in the 2016 elections.
Other senior leaders fielded by the party include former state chief K Surendran from Manjeshwar, former Union minister V Muraleedharan from Kazhakootam, Union Minister of State George Kurian from Kanjirappally and senior leader Sobha Surendran from Palakkad.
Among women candidates, the party nominated former DGP R Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu, Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur and Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North.
The BJP is expected to contest around 90–100 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, with allies including the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena and Twenty20 Kizhakkambalam contesting the remaining constituencies.
The announcement of the candidate lists comes as political activity intensifies in both states following the declaration of the Assembly poll schedule, with parties finalising nominees and gearing up for the campaign.
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