Published Feb 13, 2023 | 4:45 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 13, 2023 | 4:45 PM
Surendran (middle) sips tea with BJP national president JP Nadda in Kochi recently. (Supplied)
Will the BJP’s Kerala unit president K Surendran walk 10 km in each of Kerala’s 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the coming months in an imitation of sorts of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra?
Highly placed sources in the party say yes, as the BJP’s Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar gave such a stern directive to the state president, who is now under extreme pressure because of the lack of any foothold for the party in the state, much to the annoyance of the party’s central leadership.
“Only yatras can revitalise the party machinery ahead of the elections, and there would be nobody other than Surendran in the state to lead the yatra,” said Javadekar at a recent state-committee meeting in Kochi.
Though the yatras would cover all the 20 constituencies in the state, the BJP plans to focus more on five constituencies where it hopes political realignments are possible before the election.
As before, the party has high hopes for the changing preference of Syrian Christians from the Congress to the BJP.
So, Javadekar has also instructed the state leadership to reach out to bishops and other church leaders in Kerala in the coming months.
The party hopes it can do wonders in Idukki, Kottayam, and Thrissur if it can win over the confidence of the Syrian Christians, who now feel the return of Congress to power looks unlikely.
In the case of the Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod constituencies, the party believes it can make gains by engaging in a tough fight.
Both constituencies are known for considerable pro-BJP-RSS consolidation. In the case of Palakkad and Pathanamthitta, the BJP-RSS has some influential pockets.
Still, it would be difficult for the party to emerge as a formidable force in areas outside the pockets.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP claimed it would win seven seats from the state, but won nothing.
The contesting of Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad facilitated a pro-UDF wave in all constituencies except Alappuzha, where the LDF candidate won by a thin margin.
BJP sources said Javadekar was also keen on holding several events across the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Over 1 lakh ex-service personnel would be invited to a mega meeting in Kozhikode in north Kerala, and top national leaders, including Amit Shah, would address it.
In Thiruvananthapuram, a similar meeting would be conducted to which women working as Kudumbasree beneficiaries, Asha workers, and those in the post office services would be invited.
In Kochi, there would be a mega event in which thousands of youth fans of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would unite.
As per the plan, the events would be organised in March, and Surendran would go on his yatra by April-May.
Despite having well-oiled organisational machinery in the state, political luck seems to evade the BJP in Kerala.
Despite the Modi rule at the Centre since 2014 and the Congress’ reverses in the state, the BJP has failed to make any inroads in Kerala.
As Muslims and Christians constitute half of the state’s population, the party now finds it tough to win the election without finding admirers in the Christian community.
