THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Metroman E Sreedharan’s announcement that he is quitting active politics on Thursday has come as a setback to the BJP, which had projected him as its trump card to broaden its base in the state by reaching out to neutral voters and bringing more professionals and the intelligentsia to its fold.
Though the 89-year-old cited his age as one of the reasons for the decision, his candid observations on the erosion of BJP’s vote share in the recent assembly elections have embarrassed the party’s state leadership with which he has not enjoyed a warm relationship, especially after his defeat from Palakkad.
The technocrat-turned-politician’s exit within a year of joining politics has also come as a jolt to the BJP’s central leadership which recently nominated him to the national executive. After all, it was the party’s national leadership that took the initiative to bring Sreedharan to the party, much to the chagrin of state-level leaders.
Sreedharan’s observation that even if he had won, he would not have been able to do much as a lone MLA is also a reminder to the BJP state leadership of its dismal show in the assembly polls. Not only did NDA’s vote share erode by 3%, the party also lost Nemom, its lone sitting seat.
Sreedharan joined BJP a few months before the assembly election with much fanfare. However, the flip-flop over his announcement as BJP’s chief ministerial candidate and his reaction that he was ready for the top job, became fodder for trolls on social media for weeks in the run up to the polls.
“BJP has successfully roped in noted bureaucrats, scientists and senior defence personnel and utilised their expertise. If it wanted to do the same with a person of a high stature like Sreedharan, it should not have fielded him in a state like Kerala where it has very little influence,” said advocate A Jayasankar, political observer.
After the assembly election concluded, Sreedharan was reportedly included in a three-member “independent” panel constituted by the BJP national leadership to submit reports on the distribution and use of election funds allocated to the state unit.
BJP state president K Surendran hoped the party and the nation continue to receive Sreedharan’s services. “BJP is getting his timely guidance on many issues. Even in the recent K-Rail issue, BJP was able to adopt a stance after incorporating his views on it,” he told reporters.
Reminding all that Sreedharan is not a full-time politician, Surendran said he was included in the BJP’s national executive despite his electoral defeat as the party and nation want his services.