<p>Thiruvananthapuram: As the discussions on BJP's candidates for the assembly polls are progressing, the party is reportedly considering Union Minister of state for minority affairs George Kurian as a candidate.</p><p>Kurian is reportedly being considered from Kanjirapally in his home district of Kottayam, which is a Christian dominated region.</p><p>By fielding Kurian, who is now a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, the BJP could be aiming at making inroads into the Christian vote banks.</p>.Pinarayi Vijayan's personal messages to employees ahead of Kerala Assembly polls spark data misuse charge.<p>Former leader of regional party Kerala Congress P C George and his son Shaun George, who are now with the BJP, as well as Kitex Group managing director Sabu M George, who heads the Twenty20 political organisation that recently joined the NDA, are also being considered by the BJP as part of its Christian outreach moves.</p><p>Party state president <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/kerala/bjp-kerala-president-reiterates-desire-to-contest-from-nemom-in-assembly-polls-3907639">Rajeev Chandrasekhar had already stated</a> that he would like to contest from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram. Nemom was the seat won by BJP in Kerala assembly for the first time in 2016. </p><p>But the party lost the seat in 2021.</p><p>Firebrand leader and party state general secretary Sobha Surendran is likely to contest from Palakkad, one of the seats where the party has high hopes of winning. </p><p>BJP is also likely to field former chief minister and Congress leader K Karunakarn's daughter Padmaja Venugopal in Thrissur. Padmaja, who joined the BJP in 2024, had contested as Congress candidate at Thrissur. But she came second only.</p>.Kerala’s electorate draws a line between welfare and governance.<p>The party is yet to decide whether the party's lone Lok Sabha MP from Kerala union minister of state for petroleum Suresh Gopi should contest or not. He contested from Thrissur in the last assembly election, but finished only in third place. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election he won from Thrissur.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Congress flayed Gopi for keeping on changing his constituency in the electoral rolls. Gopi, who was earlier a voter in Thiruvananthapuram, shifted his vote to Thrissur during the Lok Sabha election. In the local body election held last year he was a voter in Thiruvanathapuram. Now he has shifted his vote to Guruvayur.</p><p>Sources close to him said that he vacated a rented house in Thrissur and moved to his flat in Guruvayur in the district. Hence his vote was shifted to Guruvayur.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: As the discussions on BJP's candidates for the assembly polls are progressing, the party is reportedly considering Union Minister of state for minority affairs George Kurian as a candidate.</p><p>Kurian is reportedly being considered from Kanjirapally in his home district of Kottayam, which is a Christian dominated region.</p><p>By fielding Kurian, who is now a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, the BJP could be aiming at making inroads into the Christian vote banks.</p>.Pinarayi Vijayan's personal messages to employees ahead of Kerala Assembly polls spark data misuse charge.<p>Former leader of regional party Kerala Congress P C George and his son Shaun George, who are now with the BJP, as well as Kitex Group managing director Sabu M George, who heads the Twenty20 political organisation that recently joined the NDA, are also being considered by the BJP as part of its Christian outreach moves.</p><p>Party state president <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/kerala/bjp-kerala-president-reiterates-desire-to-contest-from-nemom-in-assembly-polls-3907639">Rajeev Chandrasekhar had already stated</a> that he would like to contest from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram. Nemom was the seat won by BJP in Kerala assembly for the first time in 2016. </p><p>But the party lost the seat in 2021.</p><p>Firebrand leader and party state general secretary Sobha Surendran is likely to contest from Palakkad, one of the seats where the party has high hopes of winning. </p><p>BJP is also likely to field former chief minister and Congress leader K Karunakarn's daughter Padmaja Venugopal in Thrissur. Padmaja, who joined the BJP in 2024, had contested as Congress candidate at Thrissur. But she came second only.</p>.Kerala’s electorate draws a line between welfare and governance.<p>The party is yet to decide whether the party's lone Lok Sabha MP from Kerala union minister of state for petroleum Suresh Gopi should contest or not. He contested from Thrissur in the last assembly election, but finished only in third place. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election he won from Thrissur.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Congress flayed Gopi for keeping on changing his constituency in the electoral rolls. Gopi, who was earlier a voter in Thiruvananthapuram, shifted his vote to Thrissur during the Lok Sabha election. In the local body election held last year he was a voter in Thiruvanathapuram. Now he has shifted his vote to Guruvayur.</p><p>Sources close to him said that he vacated a rented house in Thrissur and moved to his flat in Guruvayur in the district. Hence his vote was shifted to Guruvayur.</p>