‘The party will definitely bring in several of its senior national leaders, including many Union Ministers to canvass votes for its candidate N Hari as the saffron alliance is pretty serious about the byelection’
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP is to bring in a galaxy of national leaders, including union ministers, for electioneering in the Pala by-election. With the party announcing the candidature of its Kottayam district president N Hari, BJP state leadership has already sent a list of leaders it wants to come to the constituency for the campaign.
BL Santhosh, who was the party national joint organizing secretary in-charge of Kerala, is now the national organising secretary and party’s parliamentary board member, said that the Kerala leadership will be able to attract the presence of more national leaders for election campaign.
“BJP will definitely bring in several senior national leaders during the electioneering which includes several Union ministers as it is very serious about this by-election,” a senior leader of the BJP told Express.
There are possibilities of Smriti Irani, Prakash Javdekar, Piyush Goyal, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhare Raje attending the election campaign in various parts of the constituency in separate programmes. Party national general secretary P Muraleedhar Rao and Yuva Morcha national secretary Anoop Antony Jacob will also campaign. Anoop, a Roman Catholic from Kerala, will be given more responsibility by the party to utilise his national contacts and long experience in New Delhi.
Another major card which the BJP will be using to woo the Roman Catholic community, the most prominent community in Pala, will be PC Thomas, former Union minister and son of late Congress leader PT Chacko. Thomas, who was the Union minister of state for law and justice in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, had staged an upset win in the erstwhile Muvattupuzha constituency as an NDA candidate. It is to be noted that Pala assembly constituency is part of the erstwhile Muvattupuzha Lok Sabha constituency. He enjoys an excellent rapport in the constituency.
“I am into meeting several people including Catholic clergy and we are certain that the NDA candidate will romp home with a comfortable majority,” Thomas told Express.BJP state leadership has already started one round of house campaign with the party’s state organizing secretary and senior RSS pracharak M Ganeshan camping at Pala and co-ordinating the election campaign.“The schedule of BJP national leaders will be chalked out in a day or two and will be communicated from the party national headquarters,” a senior state leader of BJP told Express.
Game plan: Smriti Irani, Prakash Javdekar, Piyush Goyal, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhare Raje likely to campaign.
BJP will try to woo Roman Catholic community, with PC Thomas leading the charge
He enjoys an excellent rapport with voters in the constituency