The BJP is set to rope in high-profile candidates in the state for the Lok Sabha polls. The party believes that the protests against young women's entry to Sabarimala and the RSS support to it will yield results. Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Palakkad and Kasaragod are the constituencies where the BJP fancies its chances.
The BJP central leadership wants to win the Thiruvananthapuram seat at any cost and the candidate with the best chance could contest from here. A section of the party wants Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan to contest from the state capital.
It is up to the central leadership to take a final call on him. If not Kummanam, state president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai is likely to get the seat. State general secretary K. Surendran is also being considered for the Thiruvananthapuram seat. Another probable candidate is Rajya Sabha MP Suresh Gopi.
Another option being considered is to bring in a national leader to create a wave in Kerala. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's name was suggested for this. However, some leaders say she might not want to give up the Rajya Sabha seat and hence her candidacy was unlikely. Sreedharan Pillai may contest from Pathanamthitta since the name that did the rounds earlier – Alphons Kannanthanam – is no more in contention.
The central leadership could also give state general secretary M.T. Ramesh another shot at the constituency. The BJP eyes better chances in Thrissur this time after a good show in the assembly constituencies in the 2016 polls. Thrissur is also the venue for the Yuva Morcha rally to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month.
Party general secretary A.N. Radhakrishnan and Surendran are the probable candidates from Thrissur. From Palakkad, where the BJP has always performed well, Shobha Surendran is the probable candidate. State secretary C. Krishnakumar also stands a chance. A secret internal survey held here favoured the latter.
Surendran is being considered in Kasaragod, but he is said to be reluctant. A section in the party in the constituency is against his candidature. Suresh Gopi and state council member Ravisha Tantri Kuntar are also being considered apart from P.K. Krishnadas and C.K. Padmanabhan. Former DGP T.P. Senkumar, who was active in the Sabarimala agitation, could either contest from Attingal or Kollam.
Since BDJS is set to get two seats, a final list will be decided after considering the views of the NDA ally.