Former Union Minister of State O. Rajagopal will be the BJP candidate in the by-election to the Kerala Assembly from Neyyattinkara constituency.
Party State president V. Muraleedharan said that the State unit had unanimously recommended the name of Mr. Rajagopal to the Central Election Committee. The Committee’s approval now was only a formality as it normally goes by the recommendation of the State unit.
The State president said that the party had decided to postpone the State conference of the party scheduled to be held in Thrissur from May 10 to 13 so that it could give full attention to the campaign at Neyyattinkara; now that a senior leader of party had been chosen as the candidate.
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The party would be focussing on the unblemished record of Mr. Rajagopal during the campaign. It would also highlight the discord in both the ruling and Opposition fronts. The government, which had become prey to the pressure politics of the Muslim League, was leaning on vote bank politics.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rajagopal began his campaign by calling on cultural and other leaders in the constituency. He visited the Gandhian Gopinanathan Nair at his residence and called on party workers in different parts of the constituency. He also called on the sisters running the G. R. Public School in the constituency.