Bharatiya Janta Party on Saturday announced first list of 195 candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Abdul Salam is the sole Muslim candidate who was able to get a place in Saffron party’s initial list. Salam, the former Vice-Chancellor of Calicut University, is set to contest from Kerala's Malappuram constituency, as per the announcement made by the BJP.
Abdul Salam, a native of Tirur in Kerala, brings a distinguished academic background to his political career. His LinkedIn profile showcases a remarkable academic record, with 153 research papers, 15 review articles, and 13 books in Biological Sciences published until 2018.
Prior to joining the BJP, he served as the Vice-Chancellor of Calicut University from 2011 to 2015. He transitioned into politics by joining the BJP in 2019.
In the 2021 Kerala assembly elections, Salam contested from the Nemom constituency, although he secured third place with 9,097 votes.
With a disclosed net worth of Rs 6.47 crore and no registered criminal cases against him, Abdul Salam emerges as a prominent candidate in the BJP's electoral lineup.
Abdul Salam's academic journey began with a graduation from the University of Kerala, followed by an M.Sc in Agronomy from the Kerala Agricultural University in 1976, and a PhD in Agronomy from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in 1984. He pursued post-doctorate studies at the University of Aberdeen, UK, in 1992.
Throughout his career, Salam accumulated over 31 years of teaching experience across various universities. He served as a visiting professor at Kuwait University from 2003 to 2007.
Abdul Salam's candidacy pits him against E.T. Mohammed Basheer of the Indian Union Muslim League and V. Vasif of the CPI-M in the Malappuram constituency.
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The BJP's initial candidate list for the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala comprises 12 nominees. Notable figures include film actor Suresh Gopi for the Thrissur seat, and Anil Antony, son of former defense minister AK Antony, from Pathanamthitta. Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Union Minister of State, will contest from Thiruvananthapuram, challenging Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.
However, BJP Kerala State Unit Chief K Surendran's absence from the list suggests that he won't be contesting in the upcoming elections.