BJP national president Amit Shah appointed Kummanam Kerala BJP chief on December 18, 2015. Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan's appointment as Mizoram governor has come as a surprise to everyone.
The BJP state leadership learnt about Kummanam’s posting as governor only after the official press release came out. The party central leadership had given no indications about the move. It is also not forthcoming about the new president for the Kerala unit. The change of the president is the first measure adopted by the BJP central leadership to revamp the party in the state before the Lok Sabha elections.
The repercussions of the change in party leadership will persist for some time, especially in the backdrop of the Chengannur bypoll. The BJP state leaders are, however, concerned over the advantage it has given to the opponents in Chengannur.
However, it is said that Kummanam was removed from the post based on an instruction given by BJP national president Amit Shah. The central leaders were reportedly unhappy over the bickering in the Kerala unit.
BJP national leaders had a feeling that Kummanam, who was nominated to the BJP state president’s post by the RSS and organising general secretary Ganesan, did not perform well. The party had failed to achieve the anticipated growth in Kerala. Moreover, the state leadership did not succeed in ending the differences between various leaders.
Though there was a move to offer a minister’s post to Kummanam and appoint a new party state president, the controversy over the medical college scam put paid to the plans. It was pointed out that a wrong message would be sent if the party president was changed at that time.
Another view is that Kummanam was shifted after the BJP failed in bridging the differences with the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS). BJP state leaders refute the charge that Kummanam was shifted over the infighting in the party. They say that there are no problems in the party. The decision to bestow a central post on Kummanam was taken quite some time ago. However, the state leaders have no idea why the change was implemented days before the Chengannur bypoll.
Kummanam, the Kerala BJP chief
Kummanam became the BJP Kerala state president in the most unexpected manner. The BJP state leadership was vertically split ever since the central leaders started a search for V. Muraleedharan's successor as the party’s Kerala president. Balashankar, who had been chosen by the central leadership for the post, was supported by O Rajagopal, C K Padmanabhan, P S Sreedharan Pillai and P K Krishnadas.
Kummanam’s name was suggested by V Muraleedharan, K Surendran and Umakanthan. BJP national president Amit Shah finally appointed Kummanam on December 18, 2015. The party central leadership had taken a calculated risk by choosing Kummanam a few months before the assembly elections. Kummanam was the Hindu Aikyavedi general secretary at that time.
National leaders of the party had felt that Kummanam, as president, would bring the several Hindu organisations together and provide a boost to the grass-root activists of the Sangh Parivar. Kummanam lost his post the moment the central leadership evaluated whether its move to appoint him had succeeded or not.
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