E Sreedharan, the man behind the Delhi Metro and one of the most highly educated candidates, has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party from his native place Palakkad in an attempt to make the Lotus bloom in Kerala after the assembly polls on April 6.
He was born in June 1932 in the Palakkad district of Kerala. His primary education was from Government Lower Primary School Chathannur near Pattambi in Palakkad. He completed his education at the Basel Evangelical Mission Higher Secondary School and then went to the Victoria College in Palghat. Further, he received his Civil Engineering degree from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada, in Andhra Pradesh.
Interestingly, E. Sreedharan and former Chief Election Commissioner of India, T. N. Seshan were classmates at BEM High School and Victoria College in Palakkad.
Over the years, Sreedharan changed the face of public transport in India with his leadership in building the Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro. He served as the managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation between 1995 and 2012.
Following his contribution to the construction of metros in the country, he came to be known as the "Metro Man" of India. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001, Padma Vibhushan in 2008, the Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur in 2005 by the French government and was named one of Asia's Heroes by TIME magazine in 2003.
Sreedharan was also appointed by the former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to serve on the United Nations' High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport for a period of three years in 2015. In February this year, BJP roped in Sreedharan for the assembly polls.
The public campaigning for Kerala Assembly elections 2021 drew to a close on Sunday evening. This time there was no traditional 'Kottikalasam', the final campaign celebration in the state, which was banned on the recommendation of the Election Commission to adhere to COVID-19 regulations.
Over 2 crore (2,74,46,039) voters are expected to vote in all 140 constituencies spread out over Kerala when it goes to vote on April 6 in the Assembly polls that is being held in a single phase across the state.
The state is ruled by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which had won 91 seats in the 2016 Assembly elections defeating the United Democratic Front that bagged only 47 seats. BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, the third constituent in the triangular contest in the state. The presence of the BJP, which is positioning itself as a political alternative with candidates like Metroman 'E Sreedharan' will impact the attempts made by both the LDF and the UDF to swing the constituencies in their favour.
The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly in 14 districts will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will be done on May 2.
( With inputs from ANI )
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