The drubbing received at the recent Assembly elections in the Hindi heartland and the confusion in fixing the priorities of the Sabarimala agitation are reported to have derailed the BJP’s plans to lure prominent leaders of other parties before the Lok Sabha election.
The State leadership had exuded the confidence of roping in an array of prominent leaders from other parties, mainly the Congress. The crossover of G. Raman Nair of the Congress to the BJP had given the leadership the hope of having more within a very short while.
The poll reversals in three States have rendered a major jolt to the State unit too and also served as a warning to those who nursed secret ambitions to drift to the BJP in search of better fortunes. At least for the time being, the leadership would have to defer such plans and wait till things take a turn for the better for the party, sources said.
Many senior leaders who had been playing a pivotal role in building up the organisation in the State were learnt to be unhappy with the decision to bring in fortune-seekers, but were forced to fall in line. The alleged lapse of the leadership in keeping under wraps the names of prospective leaders who have evinced interest in joining the party is learnt to have thwarted the plan. Moreover, a general feeling post Assembly elections that the party does not have anything significant to offer for new entrants is also being pointed out as a reason for the leadership to shelve the plan.
The confusion in managing the Sabarimala agitation, sources said, had exposed the organisational infirmities and what was deemed as a golden opportunity for the party to fortify its position in a number of Assembly segments could not be used effectively for want of planning.
The current dilemma in carrying forward the agitation and ending the fast of former State president C.K. Padmanabhan in front of the Secretariat demanding lifting of ban orders in Sabarimala have all reportedly taken a heavy toll on the party image. The comfortable win of the Congress in the Assembly elections has yet again kindled the hope for a revival among leaders of all strata and none would be willing to quit the party in the current situation. The BJP leadership would either have to rework its strategy or wait till things turn around, sources said.