KOZHIKODE: Amid speculation of his exit as BJP state president following the Palakkad bypoll setback, K Surendran clarified that the issue rests with the party’s central leadership. Addressing a press conference in Kozhikode on Monday, Surendran, however, refused to give a direct answer to the question of whether he expressed willingness to relinquish the post of the state president.
Surendran said there was no error in the selection of candidate for the Palakkad by-election. He also asserted that senior leader Sobha Surendran played a key role in the poll campaign.
Meanwhile, BJP leader in-charge of Kerala Prakash Javadekar ruled out leadership change, stating that the party has not sought anybody’s resignation.
Surendran took full responsibility for the party’s bypoll defeat. “In every election, the credit for victory goes to someone else, but the responsibility for the defeat lies with the party president,” he said.
He clarified that he has no personal ambitions regarding the position, and said the leadership in the BJP is determined collectively.
Acknowledging that electoral outcomes are a collective responsibility, he said the president plays a significant role as he oversees candidate selection and campaign strategies.
LDF and UDF spreading rumours, says Javadekar
Explaining the candidate selection process, Surendran said it adhered to the party’s established protocols. He said Kummanam Rajasekharan was tasked with gathering opinions from the local cadre and presenting potential nominees. This process, he noted, followed extensive deliberations by the election committee in Kochi.
C Krishnakumar was decided by the BJP’s parliamentary board, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and J P Nadda. Surendran defended Krishnakumar’s selection, citing his ability to increase BJP’s vote share in Malampuzha from 3,000 to 50,000 in a previous election.
However, he admitted the party’s failure to attract new voters in Palakkad, and promised a comprehensive review of the campaign’s shortcomings.
“While E Sreedharan, the party candidate in the last assembly elections, garnered significant public support, Krishnakumar’s performance fell short of replicating that success,” he said. Surendran also dismissed reports suggesting dissatisfaction within the party. According to him, all these reports are created by the media. He maintained that there are no internal disputes or candidate aspirants within the BJP in Kerala.
Meanwhile, Javadekar said he is amazed at the logic of some sections asking whether BJP office-bearers in the state will resign. In a post on the X platform, he said,“with this logic, Pinarayi Vijayan has to resign after LDF defeat in elections”. “With the same logic, Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge has to resign after losing elections in Maharashtra and Haryana. This is absurd,” he said.
In an earlier post, he said BJP has given a good fight in the recently concluded by-elections in Kerala. “We will win Palakkad and many more assembly seats in 2026. We are here to make a difference in Kerala politics. People are looking up to BJP,” he said. Javadekar added that LDF and UDF are spreading rumours. “Nobody is resigning; neither party has sought anybody’s resignation. I think this will settle the matter,” he said.