BJP Fields C Raghunath, The Congress Veteran From Kannur (Facebook image @C Raghunath)

The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to field mixed up candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. BJP give tickets to a fusion of high-profile leaders, experimental nominees, and new faces. The party has given ticket to C Raghunath from Kannur Lok Sabha constituency. Raghunath joined BJP last year, after ending his five-decade-long association with Congress.

Raghunath announced his departure from Congress through his Facebook account. Raghunath earlier served as the Development Coordination Committee Secretary of the Congress party. Raghunath said the decision to leave the grand old party was because the genetic makeup of the present Congress was visibly different from the old Indian National Congress.

Raghunath has stepped back from all the events of the Congress party, months prior to his announcement of quitting the party. After voicing out decision to leave the party, Raghunath has noted in his Facebook post that he will be active in Kannur district’s politics.

Notably, Raghunath was a UDF (United Democratic Front) candidate during the 2021 Assembly election from Dharmadom constituency. He was contesting against the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan. C Raghunath is also very close to Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief, K Sudhakaran.

Raghunath, started as a member of Kerala Students Union (KSU) from Brennen College, in Thalassery back in 1973 with Sudhakaran. Talking to media, he said, “those who made tall claims against groupism created four to five groups”.

Raghunath’s entry is believed to have implications on local politics for the party, with him bringing in his wealth of experience and knowledge on the workings of politics in the region to BJP.