The BJP has generated an atmosphere of 'suspense' over the fact that it did not announce a candidate for the constituency of Pathanamthitta in Kerala in the list of 184 candidates released on Thursday. The revered temple shrine of Sabarimala, which saw months of protests over the entry of women, falls in Pathanamthitta constituency.
Given that the electoral atmosphere has been filled with rumours of people switching parties, it was but natural that news reports speculated the BJP may be eyeing a senior Congress leader for Pathanamthitta. Some news reports claimed former Rajya Sabha chairman and long-time Congress leader P.J. Kurien was being considered for the BJP ticket for Pathanamthitta.
However on Saturday, Kurien vehemently denied reports he was offered the Lok Sabha ticket for Pathanamthitta by the BJP. Speaking to Manorama News, Kurien termed the reports as “sheer falsehood”. He chided media outlets that spoke of him as a possible BJP candidate and demanded that those “circulating fake news” should be identified. Intriguingly, Kurien claimed he had “received even bigger offers”previously. He added no one from the BJP had approached him so far.
Kurien also reiterated he had declined a request from the Congress to contest in the Lok Sabha elections. Kurien had won six Lok Sabha elections and served as a minister in the Narasimha Rao government. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2005.
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The choice of candidate for Pathanamthitta is considered a major issue for the BJP, which had spearheaded the agitation against the Pinarayi Vijayan government's decision to implement the September 2018 order of the Supreme Court that allowed entry to Sabarimala of women of all age groups. The Sabarimala agitation was portrayed by some political observers as the “gateway” for the BJP to make an electoral mark in Kerala, which has proved an elusive target for the saffron party.
It was previously reported BJP general secretary K. Surendran would be fielded from Pathanamthitta. Surendran, who was active in the Sabarimala agitation and had even been arrested, offered prayers at the shrine on Thursday.
