THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Five committees, tasked by the state BJP to study the reasons for the party's rout in the recent assembly elections, have reportedly pointed out that the actions of the top leadership and the statements of a few senior leaders in the run-up to the polls were among the factors that contributed to the defeat.
The committees received the feedback that state president K Surendran's controversial statement that the BJP would come to power even if it won 35 seats proved counterproductive for the party in many pockets. His statement gave credence to the CPM's argument that there was a secret pact between the BJP and the Congress.
The LDF played the factor to its advantage in areas dominated by minority communities, the committees reportedly concluded.Surendran contesting from two seats weakened the campaign in both constituencies, the committees were told.
'Rajagopal’s statements let BJP down in Nemom'
Senior leader O Rajagopal's controversial statements that were seen as reluctance on his part to accept Kummanam Rajasekharan as his successor in Nemom played spoilsport in its bastion. Kummanam’s statement likening Nemom to Gujarat also triggered a huge debate among the minority communities, eventually leading to reverse polarisation.
The party committees are also understood to have mentioned the reasons for reversals in two other A Plus constituencies - Vattiyoorkavu and Kazhakkoottam. While a dismal performance in the bypoll led to further erosion of votes in Vattiyoorkavu, a lack of sync between last-minute candidate Sobha Surrendran and and the party’s local leadership contributed to the party's defeat. Huge erosion of BJP votes despite the presence of BDJS in the NDA fold is cited as another reason for the debacle.
The rejection of nomination of BJP candidates in Thalassery and Guruvayur also dented the image of the party among the voters, the committees noted in their report. The committees led by four state general secretaries --- MT Ramesh, G Krishnakumar, George Kurien and P Sudheer, and vice-president AN Radhakrishnan --- toured their assigned districts extensively and interacted with a cross-section of party leaders and functionaries.
According to a general secretary who chaired one such committee, the panels spent around five to six days in each district and interacted with around 400- 500 party functionaries as part of preparing the report. "The committee reports, prepared district-wise, will be presented at the core committee meeting on September 10 and will be discussed extensively," said the general secretary, preferring anonymity.