Former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth is likely to be among the celebrities contesting the May 16 Kerala Assembly polls for the BJP. The party’s central leadership has already talked to him about the matter and he asked for time till Wednesday to take a final decision. The BJP leadership is expected to announce Sreesanth’s name for candidature on Wednesday.
“I have already taken a 50-50 decision about contesting,” Sreesanth told the media in Bangalore on Tuesday. The BJP leadership wants the cricketer to be the party candidate in Ernakulam or Thripunithura, constituencies where he is a very popular figure. “My choice will be Thripunithura if I am deciding to contest. Wait for another day,” the cricketer said.
An announcement of his candidature – most probably in Thripunithura – may come after he meets BJP president Amit Shah, who will be in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday to oversee the State party unit’s preparations for the crucial election. As per reports, Shah himself had asked Sreesanth to join the fray as BJP candidate.
Sreesanth’s family members confirmed that some top BJP leader had talked to him. The central leadership has reportedly asked the State party unit to undertake further tasks for fielding him as candidate in Thripunithura or Ernakulam. State BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan did not confirm or deny reports on Sreesanth’s candidature.
“Several names from the fields of arts, sports and culture are under consideration,” he said. However, a senior State leader said somebody from the central leadership could have contacted the former Indian pacer.
Observers are of the opinion that if Sreesanth decides to contest from Thripunithura it will be a big challenge to the Congress candidate, Excise Minister K Babu, who had won the seat in all elections since 1991. The BJP had done extremely well in the local administration bodies coming under the Assembly constituency in the civic polls of last November.
The BJP, which has already announced a first list of 22 probable candidates in which the names of almost all the senior State leaders figure, has almost completed the seat-sharing talks with its allies. The party leadership is working hard to prepare the final list of candidates before the close of the week.
At the same time, the BJP is also planning to field some other celebrities, mainly from the film field, as candidates in the Assembly election. As per this, director Rajasenan, who had become a party member at the conclusion of the pre-poll Kerala march held by Kummanam Rajasekharan, is likely to be a candidate.
While the party may field Rajasenan in the Nedumangad constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district, popular film actor Kollam Thulasi is likely to be the BJP candidate in the Kundara seat in Kollam district. “I do wish to work for the people on a larger plain along with my activities in the film industry,” Rajasenan told newsmen.
Bheeman Raghu, another Malayalam movie actor, may become the BJP candidate in Pathanapuram in Kollam district where film star KB Ganesh Kumar of the Kerala Congress (B), sitting member and former minister, will be the left-supported candidate. The Congress is planning to field movie actor Jagadeesh to oppose Ganesh in Pathanapuram.