Thiruvanthpuram, April 10: For the first time in its electoral history, the Kerala Assembly polls could turn out to be a three-corner fight. The BJP and its smaller allies, including the newly formed Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), will put up a tough fight against the UDF and LDF in at least 30 of the 140 Assembly seats, sources from the party claim. BJP’s ideological parent RSS, which tactically backed the Congress or the Left in earlier polls, is powering the party’s poll fight in the state, party sources said. The BJP-BDJS combine had run into rough weather on the eve of the poll announcement, with BDJS leader Vellappally Natesan publicly praising CM Oommen Chandy. But, the NDA received a fillip when Janathipathiya Rashtriya Sabha (JRS), led by firebrand tribal leader C K Janu, entered the alliance. A breakaway faction of Kerala Congress, led by P C Thomas and influential in Christian-dominated areas, had already tied up with the BJP. A BJP source said the party is also in touch with P C George, who recently left Kerala Congress (Mani) and has a considerable support base in parts of central Kerala. A six-term MLA, George was recently denied ticket by the LDF in Poonjar constituency.
Party sources said that when BJP got 10.3 per cent vote share in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, many considered it the best show the party could pull off in the state. However, its strategy of bringing together smaller community groups coupled with PM Narendra Modi’s image helped the NDA win 18 per cent votes in the recent local body polls, they said. “The party is no longer untouchable as it used to be in Kerala. Recent developments have shown that we can have a larger support base if we strike the right chord. Being in power at the Centre and having a PM like Modi, who has a doer image among youth and different communities, we have been able to pull in tribal and Christian leaders,” said a party leader. Stating that the BJP would put up a tough fight in at least 30 seats, the source said, “These are constituencies where BJP or BDJS candidates won more than 25,000 votes in local body polls. BJP sources expressed concern over the state unit dealing with alliance partners. “The central leadership has to intervene and urge the state unit to keep alliance partners in good spirit. BJP cannot afford to ill-treat its partners in Kerala. It is the first time these parties, who once allied with Congress or Left, have expressed willingness to come to the BJP fold,” said a party leader.
Party leaders also admitted that the RSS is “running the entire poll machinery for BJP” in Kerala. BJP’s poll campaign is led by state unit chief Kummanam Rajasekharan, known to be a hardcore Hindutva leader. The party is also being backed by influential personalities like Mata Amritanandamayi.“We will definitely open our account and we have the scope to increase the voteshare further. This election can make us a deciding factor in Kerala,” said a party leader.
