THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : A meeting of the BJP state core committee, primarily to discuss the fact-finding reports into the assembly election defeat, turned into an occasion for the dissident faction in the party to revive its demand for a total revamp of the party machinery.
Cornered by the critical remarks against them from the grassroots level in the fact-finding reports, the state leadership has reportedly offered to carry out a revamp. It is learnt that seven district committees where the party’s vote share plummeted and all 140 mandalam committees would be reconstituted to pacify the dissidents.
With the dissident faction persisting with its demand for a change of guard at the top level, the state leadership tried to generalise the election failure. “The official faction argued that vote share of the leaders of all factions had come down and hence the onus of the electoral reverses could not be heaped on one faction alone,” said a core group member.
However, the dissident faction pointed out that the state general secretaries and other state office-bearers were appointed purely on the basis of their affiliation to the official faction. Unless the group-driven appointments at all levels are put to an end, the party’s prospects would continue to be bleak, they pointed out.
“Though the demand for leadership change at the top most level would not be entertained, continued pressure from the rival faction may force the state leadership to go in for a revamp at the lower rungs soon,” said a senior leader.
Five committees, tasked to study the reasons for the party’s rout in the recent assembly elections, had 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.