The appointment of BJP State president Kummanam Rajasekharan as Mizoram Governor signals a major reshuffle in the faction-ridden Kerala unit.
The decision comes soon after the party sending former president V.Muralidharan to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra.
The national leadership had been unhappy with the State leadership over the way it managed party affairs and also the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) State unit.
The differences of opinion in the NDA State unit, especially the banner of revolt raised by the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), its principal ally, are feared to have affected the prospects of party candidate V.Sreedharan Pillai in the Chengannur byelection scheduled for May 28.
The BDJS has abstained from the poll campaign and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan has called upon members of the community to vote for the candidate who supports its cause.
This may erode the vote share that Mr.Pillai had gained in the last Assembly elections from Chengannur. Though Mr.Rajasekharan had played a pivotal role in organising agitations of feeder organisations of the Sangh Parivar, he failed to rise up to the expectations of the national leadership in steering the party clear of the faction feud in the Assembly elections.
The campaigns launched at the behest of Mr.Rajasekharan, especially the Kerala Raksha Yatra, targeting the CPI(M), had failed to garner the desired results. The performance of the party in the Vengara Assembly byelection also drew flak from the national leaders.
The NDA allies have been complaining that he had failed to take the alliance as a cohesive unit and his detractors in the party had used this allegation to their advantage.
The medical college bribery scam that rocked the party had also dented his image. The RSS leadership in the State was happy with Mr.Rajasekharan as he had never been at loggerheads with them. This would set the course for major organisational changes, sources said.
