Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 26 (IANS): The travel by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Vande Bharat train in the state seems to have won the hearts of her co-passengers.

Sitharaman got into the Vande Bharat Express from Kochi after her function there on Friday night, and reached the state capital at 10.30 p.m.

It was not until Saturday evening that the video of the Union minister mingling with her co-passengers went viral, drawing comparison with the way Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan travels.

In the video, Sitharaman could be seen interacting with people sharing pleasantries with her.

Not long ago, Vijayan had travelled on the same train and security officials gave a tough time to his fellow passengers on account of the high-profile security cover in place for the Chief Minister.

Incidentally, Sitharaman first became popular in Kerala when she as the Defence Minister reached the costal hamlets of the state capital when Cyclone Ockhi struck in 2017, and freely interacted with the residents who were badly affected by it.

There are speculation that she might be the BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the only seat in Kerala where the BJP finished second as it drew a blank in the state.