Having donned several hats, technocrat and industrialist-turned politician is entering the electoral fray for the first time. The three-time Rajya Sabha member, who has represented Karnataka thus far, has taken a calculated detour to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s ‘mission’ to make inroads in Kerala that has been an impenetrable stronghold of the Congress and the CPI(M)-led coalitions.

The Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti has based his campaign strategy in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency on highlighting the untapped potential of the Kerala capital as a technology, tourism and research behemoth.