The BJP has appointed firebrand politician K. Surendran as its president in Kerala. The appointment comes into immediate effect, BJP national president J.P. Nadda stated in a press release.
Surendran's new role comes at a time when Kerala is set to hold local body elections in a few months. In addition, Kerala assembly will go to polls in 2021.
The post of the state president was lying vacant after the Centre appointed V.S. Sreedharan Pillai, who led the party in the state during the Lok Sabha election 2019, as Mizoram Governor in October. Pillai's appointment came following the drubbing the party got in the five by-elections held to the Kerala assembly.
Even as Pillai was sent to Mizoram, the next big question was who would succeed him in Kerala. Along with Surendran, the other names that were doing the rounds included Kummanam Rajasekharan, M.T. Ramesh and party national executive member Sobha Surendran. Reportedly, the final rounds of selection was delayed by factionalism within the state unit. While the V. Muraleedharan faction backed Surendran and the P.K. Krishnadas faction rooted for Ramesh.
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Rajasekharan had led the BJP in the state assembly elections in 2016 where the party had won its first ever seat. Soon after the state elections, Rajasekharan was appointed as the governor of Mizoram. He was called back in time for the Lok Sabha elections and was fielded from Thiruvananthapuram seat against Congress's Shashi Tharoor.
Meanwhile, Surendran had risen as one of the most vocal leaders of the saffron party in Kerala. He had become the face of Kerala BJP as the issue of women's entry into Sabarimala temple flared up across Kerala following a Supreme Court verdict in 2018. Trying to cash in on Surendran's popularity, the BJP fielded him from the Pathanamthitta constituency during the Lok Sabha elections. The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala is part of the Pathanamthitta constituency.
He finished third in the election—behind Congress-backed UDF's Anto Antony and CPI(M)-backed LDF's Veena George. However, it was a close triangular contest with Surendran polling 28.9 per cent votes, one of the most remarkable leads the BJP has taken in Kerala.
