THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With an eye on upcoming elections, the state BJP on Thursday reconstituted its core committee, increasing minority representation and inducting young blood. Party veteran O Rajagopal and senior leader A N Radhakrishnan were dropped even as the committee was enlarged from 15 to 22 members.
Though former state president C K Padmanabhan did not figure in the initial list, he was included after the omission drew attention and threatened to kick off a controversy. Issuing a revised list with his name, the BJP blamed clerical error for the omission.
The communal equation seems to have been one of the central themes of the reconstitution. Keeping with its new-found bonhomie with the community, Christian representation went up from two to four. Anoop Antony and Shone George made their way into the committee in addition to existing members George Kurian and Anil K Antony.
A P Abdullakutty is the lone Muslim face in the panel. One of the new inductees, Sobha Surendran is the lone woman leader in the core committee. Rajya Sabha MP C Sadanandan and general secretary S Suresh are among the new additions. The new panel has two special invitees - state prabhari Prakash Javadekar and saha prabhari Aparajita Sarangi.
BJP rejig: Vice-president posts raised from three to seven
The new core committee comprises Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Suresh Gopi, George Kurian, C Sadanandan, P K Krishnadas, V Muraleedharan, Kummanam Rajasekharan, K Surendran, C K Padmanabhan, A P Abdullakutty, Anil K Antony, M T Ramesh, Sobha Surendran, S Suresh, Anoop Antony, P Sudheer, K K Aneeshkumar, Shone George, C Krishnakumar, B Gopalakrishnan, K Soman, and V Unnikrishnan.
One of the key changes in the reconstituted body is the increase in the number of vice presidents from three to seven, indicating a broader organisational restructuring of the state unit.
The inclusion of Sadanandan, Sobha, Suresh, Anoop, Shone, Unnikrishnan and Soman into the party’s key decision-making body indicates a notable shift in its organisational dynamics.
The reorganisation reflects the party’s renewed strategy to bolster its organisational strength and political outreach in Kerala ahead of crucial elections.