KOCHI: Almost four months after P S Sreedharan Pillai, who was appointed Mizoram Governor,
vacated the post, the BJP Kerala state committee has got a president. K Surendran, known for his aggressive leadership is the most popular among the second generation leaders of the BJP. The party expects his image as a crusader will turn the faction-ridden party into a vibrant one.
The immediate task for Surendran is to prepare the party for the panchayat polls which is just eight months away and the Assembly polls scheduled to be held in May, 2021. The party was not able to counter the anti -CAA campaign launched by the UDF, LDF and Muslim organisations due to the lack of an active leadership, The party was in total disarray after P S Sreedharan Pillai was appointed Mizoram governor in
October, 2019.
According to party insiders, it was Surendran who turned Yuvamorcha, the youth organisation of the BJP into a vibrant organisation in Kerala. The Yuva Morcha under his leadership had organised many protests against the Kovalam palace sale, Kerala University appointment scam, Total for You scam and Malabar Cements graft case, which attracted many youngsters to the BJP. He has been serving as the state general secretary of the BJP for the past 10 years.
It was Surendran's aggressive leadership that helped the BJP to unite the Ayyappa devotees across the state and ensure the success of the Sabarimala protest. K Surendran, who was arrested while attempting to reach Sabarimala during the Mandala Makaravilakku festival in 2018, was jailed for 22 days, which gave him the image of a crusader for the cause of protecting the rights of the devotees.
Known for his sharp tongue, sarcastic comments and biting criticism against the CPM, Surendran could improve the vote base of the party in every constituency he contested. He had twice contested to the Lok Sabha from Kasaragod, and was able to give a tough fight to the two prominent fronts. He contested the Assembly elections twice from Manjeswaram and lost the seat for 89 votes in the 2016 assembly polls.
Riding on the Sabarimala wave, Surendran managed to improve the party's vote share in Pathanamthitta from 16 per cent 28.97 in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He managed to garner 46,506 votes in Konni assembly constituency in the Lok Sabha poll. Though the BJP improved its performance in Konni bypoll, he could get only 39,786 votes, which was way below the 46,506 he got in the Lok Sabha elections.
However, the biggest challenge for the leader will be to end the faction feud in the party. Known as the most prominent leader of the Muraleedharan group in the party, Surendran will have to appease the sulking Krishnadas group. The fact that the only Union minister from the state and the state president are from the same group has not gone down well in the party.
Born into a peasant family at Ulliyeri in Kozhikode district, Surendran entered politics through ABVP, the student wing of the Sangh parivar. He graduated in Chemistry from Kozhikode Guruvayoorappan College after which he entered active politics.
"I will do my best to do justice to the faith bestowed on me by the party leadership," Surendran told media persons. "Surendran is a very experienced leader and he has led many agitations including the Sabarimala protest, which has helped the party grow in Kerala. He has got a good profile and I wish him all success in preparing the party for the Assembly polls," said BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Rao.