Palakkad: The BJP's Kerala unit could expect a complete overhaul in the aftermath of the party's poor show in the state which was in stark contrast with the spectacular show at the national level. The party failed to win any Lok Sabha seats in Kerala.
Though the BJP was hopeful of winning the Pathanamthitta constituency on the back of a populist wave against the state government's decision to implement a Supreme Court order to allow women of all ages to the Sabarimala shrine, its candidate K Surendran finished way behind the Congress and CPM candidates. In Thiruvananthapuram, Kummanam Rajasekharan lost to incumbent Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The BJP ended up losing its lead in one of the assembly segments to the Congress.
The BJP national leadership was not amused by the way the leaders in Kerala handled several issues in the runup to the general election. Party president Amit Shah was irked by the differences releated to the selection of candidates and divisional moves from some of the local leaders. Shah is said to have chided his subordinates in Kerala for just working for the fishes and loaves of office.
Many of the leaders faced allegations of working against the party candidates who they did not approve of. Even the party state president was reported to be unhappy about the choice of Surendran, who became the public face of the party's agitation in Sabarimala.
Surendran's candidature was delayed due to the differences within the party. He was originally proposed for Thrissur but some of his party colleagues worked against him. He was finally catapulted to Pathanamthitta on the directions of the national leadership.
Even the RSS was left licking its wounds after its nominee Kummanam lost out to Tharoor. The RSS had actively campaigned for the BJP candidates in this election.
The Sangh Parivar had been viewing the Lok Sabha election as a prelude to the assembly election two years away. The setback it received is sure to force it to rethink its strategy. The national leadership of the BJP is likely to go for an organisational overhaul in the Kerala unit. The state unit desperately needed at least one seat to save its face. It did not win Thiruvananthapuram and finished third in the other hopeful seats.
BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai would be held answerable for the controversial statements he made at the peak of the Sabarimala agitation.
The BJP unit is also accused of launching a campaign that was not appreciated in the political climate of the state. The party leaders could not conceal their differences even at crucial junctures such as a visit by prime minister Narendra Modi to Kerala. The venue of the visit was shifted from Palakkad to Kozhikode despite reservations from party cadre.
Party workers in Palakkad were let down by the decision but they worked in tandem with the RSS to almost double the party's vote share in the constituency, which was ultimately wrested by the Congress from the CPM.
Even BJP candidates in lesser constituencies were complaining about the lacklustre campaign. Party leaders were accused of diverting funds to their preferred candidates. Some of the RSS functionaries also came under attack for the way in which they handled the campaign.
If heads were to roll, the first one would be of Sreedharan Pillai, the state chief of the party. He will have a tough time facing the allegations and an orchestrated attack in party forums.
The BJP estimates that a majority of Hindu voters who stood by the CPM have backed the Congress this time. The Congress could even claim the minority support base of the Left Democratic Front.
