Sreesanth is BJP candidate for Kerala capital

My work is to bring in more young people into the party, says cricketer

BJP president Amit Shah with cricketer S Sreesanth at the party office in New Delhi on Friday.

Former cricketer S. Sreesanth will be contesting the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala on a BJP ticket from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency. The sportsman, who has had a chequered career in cricket and had been in jail over allegations of match-fixing, joined the BJP on Friday and was offered the party’s ticket the same day.

List finalised

The central election committee (CEC) of the BJP met in the evening to finalise a list of 51 candidates for Kerala, and the announcement was made in the presence of Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, a member of the committee, and State BJP president Kummanam Rajashekhar.

Mr. Sreesanth was expected to contest in Ernakulam or Thripunithura, but instead the party decided to field him from Thiruvananthapuram.

The BJP had done well in the 2014 General Elections in the State, reaching a 10 per cent vote share then, for the first time in its history.

At the party office, the sportsman said “my work is to bring in more young people into the party.” However, he did not comment on the choice of seat.

Actor Bhiman Reghu has been fielded from Pathanapuram, and director Ali Akbar from Koduvally are the other celebrity names featuring in the candidates list for Kerala polls.