‘Metro Man’ confident of winning by big margin as polling begins in Kerala
E Sreedharan, the BJP’s candidate from Kerala's Palakkad assembly constituency, also said that his entry has ‘given a different image to the party.’
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader E Sreedharan said on Tuesday he was confident of winning by a “big margin” from the Palakkad assembly constituency as he cast his vote for the single-phase assembly elections in Kerala.
“The BJP will have an impressive show this time. There’s no doubt about it. I will win from the Palakkad constituency with a big margin. My entry into the BJP has given a different image to the party,” said Sreedharan, according to news agency ANI.
Sreedharan--known as “Metro Man” for being the brain behind Delhi Metro, as well as the Konkan Railways--who joined the party in February, is among the high-profile candidates in the fray in the assembly elections in the southern state.
At a rally in Palakkad on March 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praise on the “Metro Man,” saying that Sreedharan has achieved so much in life, and done so much work. “A man, who is loved by so many people, has devoted himself to Kerala. He knew he would be attacked but stayed firm on his commitment for Kerala,” PM Modi said.
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The BJP, however, currently has only one legislator in the Kerala assembly and is not considered a major player in the state. There have also been flip-flops over Sreedharan being the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in Kerala. In the last few days, several high-profile party leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP's national president JP Nadda and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath have campaigned in Kerala.
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The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is seen as the front-runner to return to power in Kerala, while the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is tipped to finish second. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), meanwhile, is expected to finish a distant third in the 140-member assembly. The counting of votes and result declaration for all t constituencies are scheduled to take place on May 2.