BJP liberal on tenure, K Surendran hopeful
KOCHI: The liberal approach adopted by the BJP national leadership in granting its mandalam presidents a second term has ignited hopes for state president K Surendran.
During an online meeting on Thursday, central observer and Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinivasan favoured allowing a second term for mandalam presidents who have not crossed the age bar. She reasoned that leaders elected in 2020 were unable to function for two years due to Covid restrictions. So, the period they served after expiry of term could not be seen as a second term. The Surendran group feels the relaxation is applicable to the state president too.
However, dissenting factions have approached the central unit alleging that Surendran’s leadership has weakened the party at the grassroots. They say the decision to split district committees and forming 30 organisational districts was not discussed in the party, and will adversely affect its functioning. A senior leader said the decision was not discussed with Suresh Gopi, V Muraleedharan, Rajiv Chandrasekhar and Sobha Surendran who significantly raised the party’s vote share in the Lok Sabha election this May.
During the 2020 organisational elections, the BJP had split the 140 Mandalam committees into 280 units. This helped Surendran expand his support base as he managed to appoint his supporters to the newly-created posts. Factions opposing Surendran fear a similar intention behind the latest decision to increase the number of district units to 30.
“After the bifurcation, the BJP faced a 4% decline in vote share in the 2021 assembly election. The division of district units will add to confusion and weaken the party. The leader said at a time when Hindu and Christian communities are cozying up to the BJP, this strategy can prove counter productive.,” said a veteran BJP leader.
