Amid the simmering controversy over the withdrawal of invitation to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to the function of unveiling the statue of former Chief Minister R. Sankar, sources say the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Central leadership is going ahead with its plans to revamp its State unit.
The organisational rejig was expected anytime this month, but was deferred in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the State. The deferment was being attributed to a core group meeting of the party to be chaired by BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi on Wednesday, party sources said.
BJP leaders of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and West Bengal, the States which are going for Assembly polls, will meet to devise strategies.
A preliminary round of discussions was held in Chennai last week which was attended by general secretary P. Muralidhar Rao, joint general secretary B.L. Santhosh, and secretary H. Raja, who is also in charge of the State unit.
Sources said the BJP central leadership would discuss the decision on the suggestions of the RSS, regarding the State president's post. Several names are doing the rounds as potential nominees for the post, in the faction-ridden State unit.
However, sources said the mantle was bound to fall on an RSS man, as was seen in the recent appointments of Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam) and Dilip Ghosh (West Bengal). ‘‘There is no difference of opinion that the incumbent president V. Muraleedharan, whose two-term ends this month, should go. But the Central leadership is looking for a fresh face, although the RSS is in favour of former State president P.K. Krishnadas or State vice president M.T. Ramesh to head the State party,’’ the sources added.
Other prominent names said to be in the race include RSS ideologue and journalist R. Balasankar. He is all-India convener of BJP’s Intellectual Cell and is considered close to the NSS leadership in the State. His only disqualification is that he has no base in the State.
Another is Kummanam Rajasekaharan, general secretary of the Hindu Aikya Vedi and State vice president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He is a known RSS loyalist. However, his age is a deterrent, party sources said.
