Thiruvananthapuram: BJP national leader Prakash Javadekar has finally put an end to the rumours about K Surendran's resignation as Kerala president of the party. Javadekar declared that Surendran will continue to lead the party till the state assembly polls. Manorama News reported that the national leader who is in charge of Kerala informed this decision taken by the central leadership to the state committee on Wednesday. 

Though it was rumoured that a group of BJP leaders approached the national leadership to sack Surendran from the post, Javadekar rubbished these reports. He asserted that no member of the party demanded a change in the leadership. 

The central leadership threw its weight on Surendran amid a split within the state committee over the party's defeat in the bypolls. The centre took this decision after examining the report on the bypolls submitted by the state leadership. In the report, the state leadership alleged a conspiracy behind the poll debacle in Palakkad. However, the party will take strict action against the rebels. 

Amid this, BJP councillors in Palakkad municipality reiterated that they would tender their resignation if the party takes disciplinary action against them over the defeat in Palakkad bypoll. Over 10 councillors informed their stance to the state leadership. The councillors alleged that the party is putting blame of the party's defeat on them. They added that the state committee's lapses in candidate selection led to the defeat.

However, the national committee directed the state leadership to ensure victory in the upcoming local body elections in Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur and improve the party's vote share in Kollam and Kozhikode corporations. A target of vote share is also fixed for municipalities and panchayats. The state committee has been asked to begin election work in constituencies where the party expects victory.