Thiruvananthapuram: The State BJP leadership continues to put pressure on actor Suresh Gopi to contest from Thiruvananthapuram Assembly constituency even as it has decided to field actor Bheeman Raghu in Pathanapuram and director Rajasenan from a constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district. The party, however, is yet to finalise the constituency from where former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth will contest.
The BJP core committee and state election committee which met here have approved a 50-member list of probable candidates. BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan is expected to hand over the list to BJP president Amit Shah .
Top BJP sources told DC that Mr Shah is expected to speak to Suresh Gopi before he returns to New Delhi in the night. The actor is pe-eved with the national BJP leadership for appointing him chairman of the National Film Development Corporation as announced earlier.
“The ‘action hero’ is also worried of canceling his various programmes and film schedules,” said a BJP source. “His schedules were affected when he came to campaign at Aruvikkara last time. But he has evinced keen interest in campaigning for BJP candidates now rather than being a candidate. But State leadership will continue to pressure him to contest from Thiruvananthapuram.”
Meanwhile, actor Bheeman Raghu’s candidature has been finalised at Pathanapuram and he would contest against KC (B) candidate K. B. Ganesh Kumar and Congress candidate actor Jagadeesh.
Mr Sreesanth has evinced keen interest in contesting from Thrippunithura but the proposal has not gone down well with Prof. Thuravoor Viswambaran who was earlier projected as the candidate from there. Director Rajasenan too will be given a seat from Thiruvananthapuram district. There were earlier reports that he is likely to contest from Nedumangad, but a final decision on the constituency is yet to be taken.
Yuvamorcha State president K. P. Prakash Babu will contest from Beypore while BJP state secretaries V. K. Sajeevan and B. Gopalakrishnan will contest from Thalassery and Thrissur.
