BJP state leadership meet today amid infighting over Palakkad bypoll debacle

Kochi: The BJP state leadership meeting is set to take place in Kochi on Tuesday, with organisational elections officially on the agenda. However, the session is expected to discuss the fallout from the Palakkad bypoll defeat, which has triggered internal dissent and public criticism of party state president K Surendran.

Amid demands for Surendran’s resignation, the BJP’s central leadership has thrown its weight behind the state party chief. Speaking on social media platform X, Prakash Javadekar, the BJP’s Kerala in-charge, dismissed rumours of Surendran stepping down. "No one is resigning, nor has anyone been asked to resign. I think this will settle the matter," Javadekar posted, accusing the CPM-led LDF and Congress-led UDF of spreading false narratives about the party’s internal affairs.

The BJP faced a significant setback in Palakkad, one of its strongholds, when its candidate C Krishnakumar was defeated. Reports suggest that candidate selection and campaign strategy dissatisfaction caused a rift within the state unit. Speaking to Manorama News, Palakkad municipal chairperson Prameela Sasidharan criticised the leadership for fielding Krishnakumar, whom she identified as Surendran’s nominee. "Voters were disappointed with the choice. Some even questioned why the BJP did not field a stronger candidate," she said, adding that she had conveyed voter sentiments to the leadership before the election.

Internal factions appear to have emerged, with some leaders blaming Surendran’s unilateral decisions for the defeat. But the pro-Surendran camp insists he will continue to lead the party into the upcoming local body elections. Recently, Sandeep Varier, who was at loggerheads with the BJP state leadership and Surendran, in particular, joined the Congress.

Today’s meeting is anticipated to be a critical platform for assessing the bypoll results and addressing the growing unrest among party members.