The BJP Central committee has chalked out a multi-pronged strategy for the coming Assembly polls by giving a key role to former south India organising secretary P.P. Mukundan, who has officially returned to active politics.
Party sources said the Central leadership’s game plan was the same as it had adopted for West Bengal, to effect a hung Assembly. Mr. Mukundan, whose capability to influence Hindu caste outfits, Christian denominations, and Muslim sections is well acknowledged, is expected to help the cause.
Decade-long hibernation
Mr. Mukundan still holds sway over a good chunk of the rank and file of both the BJP and the RSS. Ironically, it was his rising popularity among RSS and BJP cadre that had led to a decade-long political hibernation, the sources pointed out.
The Central leadership is likely to induct him into the national executive possibly after the Assembly polls.
Till then he would coordinate the NDA in the State. A formal decision from the Central leadership is awaited, the sources said.
Previously the leaders had identified 24 Assembly seats for a full-throttle campaign, optimistically targeting wins in at least 10 segments. This seems impossible now though the party had secured 17 per cent of votes polled in 72 segments in the 2015 three-tier local bodies’ poll. However, tactical voting by the BJP in many seats could mar the chances of both the UDF and the LDF.
As of now, party joint secretary B.L. Santhosh from Karnataka has been asked to coordinate the campaign of NDA constituents. Such a step had been taken by national president Amit Shah after an election review meeting held in New Delhi last week.
Vellappally’s worry
The meeting saw SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan raising concern about the lack of coordination among partners, especially the BDJS, and that his picture had been missing in the election posters of NDA candidates, the sources said.
Another reason, Mr. Santhosh has been brought in is that almost all leaders, including State president Kummanam Rajasekharan, are in the fray. Now it has emerged that Mr. Santhosh, whose knowledge of Kerala’s socio-political scenario is limited, might not be able to do justice to the post.
Further, NDA at the district-level still remained inactive, the sources said.
BJP Central unit likely to induct him into the national executive after the Assembly polls.
