BJP Fields Actor Suresh Gopi From Thrissur In Kerala

The BJP on Tuesday announced the names of three more Lok Sabha candidates, fielding Malayalam film actor Suresh Gopi from Thrissur in Kerala.

“The National Secretary of the party, on the directions given by PM Modi had called me yesterday morning and requested me to contest in the elections and I agreed,” Gopi told Asianet News .

In Thrissur, Gopi is up against UDF’s TN Prathapan and LDF’s Rajaji Mathew Thomas.

The seat was initially meant for NDA ally Tushar Vellapally, who was moved to Wayanad constituency after Congress president Rahul Gandhi decided to contest from there for his second seat, The NewsMinute reported. 

Besides this, the party announced two more candidates from Gujarat Sharda Ben Patel from Mahesana and Darshana Jardosh from Surat.

With this, the BJP has announced the names of 377 candidates. 

The party has also released the names of 11 more candidates for the Odisha state assembly polls, which will be held in four phases starting from April 11 and ending on April 29. 

The BJP has so far announced candidates for all the Lok Sabha seats which will go to polls in the first four phases of the seven-phase election . 

The general elections will begin on April 11 and continue till May 19. The counting of votes will be held on May 23.

The BJP had earlier nominated Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow. Party chief Amit Shah will contest from Gandhinagar, where L K Advani is the sitting MP. 

(With PTI inputs)