Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan resigns, may contest against Shashi Tharoor in Kerala

Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan tendered his resignation on Friday afternoon, leading to speculation that he may contest the BJP’s ticket against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram in his home state Kerala.

Rajasekharan, the former BJP chief of Kerala, resigned days after the Kerala unit of the saffron party made an official plea to the Centre to relieve the former of his duties so that he can be fielded as the party candidate from Thiruvananthapuram.

RELATED

His resignation has been accepted by President Ram Nath Kovind. Jagdish Mukhi, governor of Assam, has been given additional charge of Mizoram until a new nominee is selected.

Rajasekharan’s tenure as Mizoram Governor lasted for less than 10 months and came just two days before the crucial Chegannur by-polls.

Head of the Kerala BJP unit till May last year, Rajasekharan was unceremoniously dropped just ahead of a key by-election and sent to Mizoram.

In 2014, BJP’s O Rajagopal had lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat to Tharoor by just over 15,000 votes. The BJP now is believed to be vesting its hopes on Rajasekharan -- a favourite of the Lingayat community and a popular face among the Hindu vote bank -- to retain the crucial seat.

The BJP also wants to capitalise on the Sabarimala sentiment as Rajasekharan is a Lord Ayyappa devotee, who gained political limelight in 1982 during the Nilakkal agitation.