• By Vivek Raj
  • Mon, 25 Mar 2024 09:27 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its candidates for the remaining four Lok Sabha seats in Kerala. The Saffron party has fielded its state chief, K. Surendran to contest from the high-profile Wayanad constituency against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Scholar and former vice-chancellor of Sree Sankara Sanskrit University, K S Radhakrishnan, and actor-turned-politician G Krishnakumar have been nominated for the Ernakulam and Kollam constituencies, respectively, while T N Sarasu, a former government college principal, will vie Alathur seat in Palakkad district.

Who is K Surendran, BJP’s pick against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad?

Kunnummel Surendran, born on March 10, 1970, in Ulliyeri, Kozhikode district, Kerala, is a prominent political figure in the state. Graduating with a BSc in Chemistry from Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College, Kozhikode, Surendran embarked on his political journey through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Married to Sheeba K., Surendran has two children.

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Throughout his political journey, K. Surendran has held various positions, including Director of the North Malabar District Co-operative Marketing Society, President of Desa Seva Samskarika Kendram, and Founder Director Board member of National Yuva Co-operative Society.

Surendran's leadership skills came to the fore when, as the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, he led a protest march in October 2009, advocating against unemployment and the government's hiring restrictions. However, the peaceful march was met with police resistance, resulting in injuries to several participants.

K. Surendran, the state chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala emerged as a leading figure in the Sabarimala protests and was charged with 242 police cases and subsequently arrested from Nilakkal.

Interestingly, Surendran has contested Lok Sabha elections three times and Assembly elections five times but has never been able to taste victory in any of them.

In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Surendran was chosen as the BJP candidate for the Pathanamthitta constituency. Despite his efforts, he secured third place, with the Indian National Congress emerging victorious.

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Now, facing a formidable opponent in Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, Surendran is set to try his luck on the electoral landscape of Kerala once again.