Heads to roll in Kerala BJP for election fiasco

Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP central leadership has indicated to the Kerala unit the possibility of heads rolling for the party’s complete rout in the state assembly election.

The party was expecting at least five seats in the poll, but when the results came it even forfeited the lone seat it had in the previous assembly.

The central leadership is understood to be upset with the failure of the Kerala leaders even to carry out a proper review of the election fiasco.

The meeting of party general secretaries and in-charges of states that went to the polls, currently progressing in Delhi, noted that the party put up a dismal performance even in the seats that party candidates were supposed to do well.

The party’s Kerala core committee meeting, which was supposed to be held in Kochi on Sunday, could not take place as the authorities served a notice to the hotel, which was to be the venue of the meeting, for violation of the lockdown protocol.

The state party leaders, including Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, accused the state government of fascist behaviour and alleged that a deliberate attempt was being made to defame the party in the Kodakara havala case.

They alleged that the state government and the ruling party, as well as the Congress party, have been subjecting the party to targeted attacks and the havala case was a part of this conspiracy. They alleged the involvement of CPI-M and CPI workers in the heist.

But state party president K Surendran faced further embarrassment when his namesake who had filed nomination in the Manjeshvaram seat alleged that the BJP leaders had threatened him to withdraw from the contest.

The man, named Sundara, had alleged that he had been paid Rs 2.5 lakh along with a smart phone for agreeing to withdraw his nomianton, out of a total offer of Rs 15 lakh. He claimed that there were three persons in the team that brought the cash to his home.

The CPI-M candidate has filed police case against Surendran for bribing his namesake to withdraw from the contest.

Police has recorded Sundara’s statement and has questioned the BJP president’s driver and private secretary in connection with the case.