The hard bargaining among senior leaders for the seat of their choice and efforts to persuade the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) to join the race are reported to be holding back the announcement of the BJP candidates’ list for the Lok Sabha election in the State.
The main contention is learnt to be over the Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Palakkad segments where the party exudes confidence of making remarkable gains. Almost all the leaders are learnt to be keen on contesting from Pathanamthitta, which they deem a safe segment post Sabarimala agitation.
Party sources told The Hindu that State general secretary K. Surendran was tipped to contest from either Pathanamthitta or Thrissur, but with the leadership offering the latter to the BDJS, Mr. Surendran has been left with only one option. State president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai’s canidature has been tossed up for Pathanamthitta. Of late, the name of another general secretary M.T. Ramesh too was touted for the same segment and this had added to the confusion, sources said.
The reluctance of BDJS leader Thushar Vellappally to contest has also put the BJP in a quandary. The national leadership is learnt to be coercing him to join the fray, but Mr. Thushar has developed cold feet with Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan insisting that Yogam office-bearers nursing political ambitions would have to relinquish their posts to contest the election. This warning is being cited as one of the reasons for Mr.Thushar’s diffidence to contest.
Unless the BJP national leadership takes a final decision on the Thrissur segment, it would be difficult for the party to wrap up the candidate finalisation process. The BJP has made a deft move by roping in Congress leader and former Kerala Public Service Commission chairman K.S. Radhakrishnan to contest from Alappuzha. But the party’s move to cash in on Congress dissident K.V. Thomas to be fielded from Ernakulam was dashed with Mr. Thomas categorically denying chances of quitting.
The national leadership is learnt to have decided to field C. Krishnakumar from Palakkad again at the cost of the serious protest registered by Sobha Surendran who has been named for Attingal. Mr. Ramesh too may not be willing to contest from any other segment other than Pathanamthitta. The differences are expected to be ironed out soon with the national leadership having its way and the list is expected to be cleared on Monday. But that would only further deepen the differences and the disgruntled leaders playing spoilsport cannot be ruled out, sources said.