Kerala polls: BJP to support CPM rebel in Thalassery

A youth walks past campaign posters of BJP national leaders near NDA Central Committee Office, ahead of Kerala assembly polls, in Thiruvananthapuram, Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Credit: PTI Photo

The BJP in Kerala has decided to back the CPM rebel candidate COT Naseer contesting from Thalassery in Kannur district in the upcoming assembly elections.

The Election Commission had rejected the nomination of the BJP's Thalasserry candidate N Haridas and Guruvayur candidate Niveditha Subramanian over technical flaws.

This had triggered allegations and counter-allegations by the CPM and the Congress of having a political nexus with the BJP. The BJP had received considerable votes in both these constituencies in the previous elections.

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The saffron party has also decided to back Dileep Nair of the Democratic Social Justice Party (DSJP), a local political outfit, from Guruvayur in Thrissur.

The DSJP was launched in 2019 as a political party of the unreserved communities and the party was trying to be part of the NDA.

Naseer is a former CPM local leader who later came out in open against the party's Kannur leaders and raised corruption allegations. He suffered a major attack in 2019 and which was allegedly planned by sitting MLA A N Shamseer of the CPM. Shamseer is contesting from Thalaserry this time as well.

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