Thiruvananthapuram: The results of the Kerala civic polls would have disappointed the leadership and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state. The party had carried out its election activities focusing on 7,000 wards and expected to win at least half of these seats. However it ended up winning less than 2,000 wards which is higher than the 2015 tally.
The BJP’s dream to fly the saffron flag atop Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation could not materialize. Also the party’s claim that it would become the main opposition in Thrissur Municipal Corporation fell flat.
However, the party succeeded in making its presence felt in all six municipal corporations including Kannur. At the same time the party failed to retain some of its sitting seats.
The BJP’s hopes of capturing at least 40 gram panchaytas and 10 municipalities too could not become a reality.
The victory in Palakkad and Pandalam municipalities and the doubling of the number of panchayats in its kitty form 12 in 2015 came as a major relief for the party-led National Democratic Alliance or NDA. The BJP managed to become the single largest party and main opposition in some municipalities.
Party blames unholy nexus
The BJP has accused the LDF and UDF of joining hands to defeat the party in various places. According to the party leadership, the Congress strength in Thiruvananthapuram reduced to just 10 seats clearly indicated the unholy nexus.
The RSS leadership in the state had expected to win 3,000 more wards cashing in on the Narendra Modi-led Central Government’s achievements and the sharp attack unleashed on the LDF government. The central leadership is likely to look into the BJP state unit's failure to surprise the two fronts despite getting big support from the RSS and a section of the people.
The state and central leadership of the BJP is not satisfied with the contribution made by alliance partner Bharat Dharma Jana Sena or BDJS in the local body polls.
Meanwhile, the rebellion led by BJP vice president Shobha Surendran against state president K Surendran is likely to get momentum in the backdrop of the election results. The BJP state president has been accused by his adversaries of not taking all sections of the party together. On the other hand, the Surendran faction will target Shobha for not taking part in the election campaign.
BDJS dissatisfied with NDA show
The BDJS, which is the second biggest alliance partner of NDA, is not happy with front's performance in the local body polls. The party has convened an urgent state council meeting in Cherthala on Friday to review the poll results.