Thiruvananthapuram: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala will analyse the role played by Nair Service Society (NSS) in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls.
The party missed out on getting NSS votes in Thiruvananthapuram that saw a tight contest, pointed out losing BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan and senior leader O Rajagopal, MLA.
The party did not get the desired support from Thiruvananthapuram, Vattiyoorkavu and Nemom assembly constituencies that have considerable Nair population.
Though the NSS had reiterated its equidistant policy from all parties, the BJP had specifically requested the outfit from voting against Kummanam. However, that did not seem to have happened as Kummanam lost to Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor by nearly 1 lakh votes. The BJP candidate came a distant second, but ahead of CPI's C Divakaran.
The BJP is all set to calculate the number of votes the party received from the NSS at booth level.
Moreover, BJP candidate K Surendran was relegated to the third spot in the Pathanamthitta, raising questions over the NSS support in this crucial constituency as well.
BJP had set high hopes on both Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta seats in the wake of the Sabarimala row.
The party is ready to take immediate measures to mend ties with the NSS if any fissures had developed in their relationship. The BJP leadership is aware of the need of NSS backing in the upcoming bypolls in the state.
Minister Kummanam?
Though Kummanam failed to secure the Thiruvananthapuram seat, he is most likely to be made a minister. Even the RSS has asked the Centre to give a deserving position for Kummanam, who resigned from his Mizoram governor post to contest in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kummanam had also said that he would work for Kerala's development even after the poll debacle, hinting about his place in Modi's council of ministers. Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam could be retained in the ministry.
V Muraleedharan could also make it to the ministry, taking the total number of ministers from Kerala to three.