Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan has stepped down from his post, fuelling speculations that he would be fielded as the BJP's candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.
Governor of Assam, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, has been given temporary charge of the Aizawl Raj Bhavan.
A press communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said the President of India had accepted Mr. Rajasekharan's resignation. Sources in the BJP said moves were on to declare him as the party's nominee for the Lok Sabha elections from the State's capital, signalling his return to active politics.
Mr. Rajasekharan, who was former State president of the BJP in Kerala, had been sworn in as Governor of Mizoram in May 2018. His comeback to electoral politics would set the stage for a three-cornered battle in Thiruvananthapuram where he is likely to be pitted against sitting MP Shashi Tharoor of the Congress and C. Divakaran of the CPI.
The decision that Mr. Rajasekharan was to be recalled to Kerala and active politics was taken at a BJP general secretaries meeting in New Delhi on Monday. Kerala was discussed in detail including what one general secretary said, “the RSS’ pressure that Mr Rajasekharan be called back and fielded from Thiruvananthpuram.”
“The party agreed that he was an effective leader and far more useful for it in Kerala and active politics than the Raj Bhavan in Aizawl, but the decision on the particular seat that he would fight is yet to be taken,” said the source.
Meanwhile, BJP state president P.S.Sreedharan Pillai told the media on Friday that the party welcomed the proposal to field Mr. Rajasekharan from Thiruvananthapuram, one of the constituencies where the BJP has a chance to win.
There has been talks that actor Mohanlal, too, was in the consideration for the Thiruvananthapuram seat, but the RSS was keen on Mr. Rajasekharan.
In the 2016 Assembly elections, Mr. Rajasekharan had contested from the Vattiyoorkavu constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district, coming second after the Congress candidate K.Muraleedharan.