The BJP State office-bearers’ meeting in Kasaragod on Tuesday reportedly went through the painful convulsions of examining the reasons for the party’s weak performance in the 2021 Assembly elections.
As many as 60 leaders, including State secretaries, vice presidents, general secretaries and core committee members, attended the conference.
Some leaders argued that the BJP had tried and failed to garner OBC, Dalit and Christian votes. The SNDP and KPMS gravitated towards the LDF, rendering the NDA impotent. The BJP was also unable to attract Christian votes in requisite numbers.
A few opined that a significant section of voters arguably dismissed Sabarimala and “Love Jihad” as a political gimmick to gain votes. Some felt the BJP should have cautioned its star national-level campaigners against harping on about the issues at the hustings.
Often the BJP’s election rhetoric looked strident and hostile to undecided voters, particularly minorities. It disputably lacked appeal across the aisle and seemed tailor-made for the party’s traditional base.
Some insisted the party should have focussed on the Centre’s COVID-19 mitigation schemes and the vision of an emergent Kerala.
A few alleged factional preferment in candidate selection and election fund allocation. They claimed inefficiency and lack of transparency in the handling of election funds.
Few delegates claimed that the CPI(M) had coaxed BJP workers to desert the party in Palakkad and Varkala. They warned against keeping active workers out of the loop.
The State leadership stressed the need for unity. It said divided parties stood to lose support. The electorate appeared unwilling to change the government amid a crippling global pandemic. The public mood advantaged the LDF.
The BJP resolved to find a path back to political relevance in Kerala. It tasked P. Sudhir, C. Krishnankumar, M.T. Ramesh, and George Kurian, all State general secretaries, to dissect the election campaign at the district level.BJP State president K. Surendran presided. Kerala Prabhari C. P. Radhakrishnan, P. K. Krishnadas, M. T. Ramesh, Shobha Surendran and others attended.
