Amid simmering differences, north Kerala, especially Kozhikode district, has secured proper representation in the revamped list of the State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit.
However, the tug of war in the party remains, as many senior leaders like K.P. Sreeshan, P.M. Velayudhan, Chettoor Balakrishnan, and P. Leelavathi, all from Kozhikode, have been left out.
M.T. Ramesh, who was tipped to be State president, was retained as State general secretary in the new team led by K. Surendran, who announced the list of new office-bearers on Thursday. Both had been presidents of the State unit of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), but now spearheaded two factions led by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Mureleedhran and former State president P.K. Krishnadas respectively.
The coming days will witness more disgruntled elements coming out publicly against the leadership. The RSS State leadership and the Krishnadas faction have expressed their resentment over the nominations.
Incumbent State general secretary of BJYM C.R. Praphul Krishna, who hails from Ayyancherry near Vadakara, has been elevated to the post of president of the youth wing. The outgoing BJYM State president, K.P. Prakash Babu, who also hails from Kozhikode, has been made State secretary of the BJP. He was the party candidate in the Kozhikode parliamentary constituency last year.
P. Regunath, president of the north zone unit of the party and former BJP Kozhikode district president, has also been made State secretary. Likewise, outgoing BJP Kozhikode district president T.P. Jayachandran has been nominated to head the north zone unit.
V.V. Rajan, who was BJP district president and general secretary, has been made State vice president. N.P. Radhakrishnan, hailing from Vellayil in coastal Kozhikode and a functionary of the Bharateeya Mastya Sangham, has been nominated as State president of OBC Morcha, another wing of the party.
Demoted
Senior leader M.S. Kumar, who has been made State spokesman of the party, has aired his opinion against his new assignment. Shobha Surendran and A.N. Radhakrishnan, who were demoted to vice presidents from State general secretaries, are unhappy with their roles as well.
Except Mr. Ramesh, the remaining three State general secretaries belong to the Muraleedharan faction.