Kerala polls: NDA list on March 27

Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP-led NDA will announce its candidates for the Kerala assembly polls on March 27, a senior BJP leader said on Monday.

Kerala unit BJP president K. Rajasekheran said this after his party finalised seat sharing with newly formed Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), the party promoted by Hindu Ezhava leader and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) general secretary Vellapally Natesan.

"Today we have finalised that the BDJS will contest in 37 seats. On March 26 there will be talks with other allies. The full list will be announced on March 27," said Rajasekheran.

The BJP is determined this time to open its account in the 140-member assembly and has already released its first list of 22 candidates.

The first list includes all their top leaders including Rajasekheran, who will take on Congress legislator K. Muraleedharan at Vatiyoorkavu constituency in the capital.

In 2011, only three BJP candidates finished in the second place. In all other constituencies, it finished a distant third.