As part of expanding its social engineering experiment, the BJP Central leadership has asked its Kerala unit to focus on the Viswakarma community in the State.
Sources said the BJP State unit had totally ignored the Viswakarma community that has a sizeable population in many constituencies. A party analysis showed that a section of the Viswakarma members who traditionally voted for the BJP had favoured the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front this time.
The Central leadership feels that the BJP State leaders had failed to broker a deal with the major organisations such as the Akhila Kerala Viswakarma Maha Sabha and the Kerala Viswakarma Sabha. The other organisations are the Tamil Viswakarma Samooham and the Vishwa Brahmana Samooham which the BJP leaders felt could have played a major role.
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Incidentally, BJP national general secretary Ram Madav had held discussions with a senior leader from the Viswakarma community who was associated with the RSS, in New Delhi over a year ago.
The Viswakarma community has a major vote share in at least 10 Assembly segments such as Nedumangad, Chengannur, Attingal, Aluva, Perumbavoor and North Paravur. It has 5 to 10 per cent of vote share in 100-odd Assembly constituencies, the sources said.
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In the Assembly polls, the sources said, the BJP-led coalition received 33 per cent of votes of the Nair community (UDF 20 per cent and LDF 45 per cent); 17 per cent of the Ezhava/Thiyya community (UDF 28 per cent and LDF 49 per cent) Christian community 9 per cent (UDF 51 per cent and LDF 35 per cent) and Muslim community 3 per cent (UDF 58 per cent and LDF 34 per cent).
Now the Central leadership feels that had the BJP wooed the Viswakarma communities the party nominees would have won a few seats in Central Travancore.
But none of the community members occupy important positions in the party . At the same time, the party is facing another problem with many old-timers leaving the party because of this alleged ostracism inside the party, the sources said.