Kochi: Bereft of ideas and new faces, it looks like the BJP has almost given up Ernakulam. Though the party local leadership has been actively considering celebrities like Major Ravi, nobody worth the name wants to contest and lose. Former Kochi deputy mayor B. Bhadra’s name is also doing the rounds.
Though the BJP is yet to publish the preliminary list of candidates for the 14 constituencies in Ernakulam, party insiders admit that there will be no prominent or surprise candidates in any of the constituencies in the district. BDJS (Bharat Dharma Jana Sena) has raised a claim for some of the major constituencies like Ernakulam and Thrikkakara. Though filmmaker Major Ravi’s name was doing the rounds for Tripunithura, he is yet to accept the offer, said reliable sources. Another name widely discussed for Tripunithura is J. Nandakumar.
“Since Ernakulam has no constituency included in the ‘A’ list of the party, no state leaders will be contesting here. Tripunithura is the only major constituency included in the ‘B’ list,” said sources close to the party.
A prominent leader from the district A.N Radhakrishnan is likely to contest from Manaloor in Thrissur district.
Though the party hopes to gain from its alliance with BDJS, the party leadership has to defend the demands and claims that did not match its clout, if it wants to cash in on the coalition.
“Though the party’s hopes have been boosted by the recent electoral success in civic body polls, there is a lack of clarity among the party leadership on seat sharing with BDJS and selecting candidates. There is a vacuum in the party’s district leadership as a new power structure is yet to be evolved after the new state leadership came. “The fluid situation at the leadership level could be a major reason for the uncertainty over candidate selection,” according to political observers.
