NEW DELHI: Shobha Surendran will contest as the NDA candidate from Kazhakootam. The national leadership of BJP declared its official decision. Mukundan Palliyara will contest from Mananthavady. Bitty Sudheer from Karunagapally and M Sunil from Kollam will contest as BJP candidates. In Mananthavady, a BJP worker namely Manikuttan was declared as BJP’s candidate, but he withdrew from it sighting that he was not consulted before his candidature was declared by the party.

Shobha’s candidature was confirmed in Kazhakootam, following Prime Minister’s intervention. The party’s central leadership took the decision surpassing the opposition raised within the party circles. Earlier, Shoba’s name was not featured in the possible list of candidates given by the party’s state leadership to the central leadership.

Home minister Amit Shah has also asked why her name was not included in the list? Following this union minister Pralhad Joshi contacted her over the phone and Shobha informed her willingness to contest in the polls.