
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a political masterstroke the BJP hopes would change its fortunes in the state, the party leadership has set in motion its biggest social engineering to incorporate the different sections of highly complex vote banks.
The decision to appoint three district presidents from the Christian community, nine from Ezhava, and 13 from the Nair community has been seen as a carefully manoeuvred move to dislodge the existing power system in the state electoral politics. Four women have also been appointed to the post, besides two leaders from the Scheduled Caste communities.
Though the BJP had been undertaking social engineering to reach out to the Christian community, this is a first-of-a-kind attempt to promote more Christian faces to the local and mid-level leadership.
“Suresh Gopi’s victory in the Lok Sabha election from Thrissur was viewed as the result of the Christian outreach programme. However, there were complaints from the Christian community that they had been neglected while appointing office-bearers. If we fail to consider their demands and aspirations, the whole process would be affected,” a senior BJP leader told TNIE.
The BJP took up the social engineering plan based on a report state president K Surendran submitted to the national leadership. The report was prepared after a careful study of the voting patterns of different communities in each assembly segment. The Lok Sabha election results showed that a section of Christian votes went to the BJP candidate, as evident in Thrissur.
The party leadership also realises that there is a growing anti-incumbency sentiment, especially among women, against the LDF government which has been in power in the state for the past eight years. Christian representation is assured in Thrissur, Kottayam and Idukki districts, where a large section of voters belong to the community.
Among the three presidents appointed, two are from the powerful Roman Catholic community while the other is from the Marthoma community. Justin Jacob has been appointed as the district president of Thrissur City and Roy Chacko as the district president of Kottayam East, both being Roman Catholics.
The leadership calculates the appointment would reflect in the upcoming local body and assembly elections, especially in areas like Kanjirappally and Poonjar.
“We wanted Christian leaders as office-bearers in areas where the community is a major force. With this, BJP is giving a message to the community and to the Church that there are plenty of opportunities. We have already given the Christian community a cabinet berth by appointing George Kurien,” a BJP state office-bearer said.
The party has also appointed 34 women as mandalam presidents. The BJP incorporating more women into its leadership would pose a challenge to the CPM and the Congress, both of whom claim to champion women’s rights.
The postings have a mark of performance too. Kasaragod district president M L Aswini had done well in the Lok Sabha election in the constituency. Deepa Puzhakkal has been put in charge in Malappuram West and Niveditha Subramanyan in Thrissur North. Raji Prasad, who has been appointed as the Kollam East district president, is a KPMS leader.
C R Praful Krishnan in Kozhikode North, Prasanth Sivan in Palakkad East, and Prakash Babu in Kozhikode City are from the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha. Prakash was the state president of BJP’s youth outfit. Though there was a last-minute revolt against the appointment of Prasanth, the national leadership stood with the state president.
However, like in many hardcore saffron states, the absence of Muslim leaders as district presidents is notable in Kerala too. Of a total of 30 district presidents, only three are left to be announced. According to sources, the chances of any Muslim leader being nominated are low. “BJP is a party which gives equal representation to all sections of society,” BJP state president K Surendran said.
“We have A P Abdullakutty as a national vice-president. And when the office-bearers of booth, mandalam, and district are selected, Muslims too will have enough representation.”