Senior BJP Kerala leader Sobha says she will not contest assembly polls

As the BJP is in searchof new faces to field in the coming Kerala assembly polls,senior party leader Sobha Surendran on Thursday said she wasnot contesting the elections this time.

Sobha Surendran, who had abstained from campaigningduring recent civic polls owing to reported differences withstate party chief K Surendran, said she has already conveyedto the party's state and central leaderships about herdecision.

''I am not contesting the assembly polls. This has beenconveyed to my state and central leaderships months ago,'' shesaid while participating in a protest at the state secretariathere in solidarity with the Public Service Commission (PSC)rank holders agitating against the LDF government seekingextension of ranklists published by the commission.

Her statement came as the BJP is set to launch its'Vijay Yatra' from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram on February21 as part of its outreach programme ahead of the polls.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath willinaugurate the two-week long yatra being undertaken under theleadership of K Surendran.

Reacting to Sobha's announcement, Surendran said inKozhikode that discussions regarding the party candidates tobe fielded in the elections would be held only after thecompletion of the yatra.

Pressed further by reporters, he said, ''she has said so.

There is no need to give a reply to that''.

Sobha was abstaining from the party's programmes afterbeing relegated as state-vice president from generalsecretary, but started attending the party meetings since BJPpresident J P Nadda's visit to the state recently.