THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state BJP is reeling under the 'shock treatment' it received in the form of state president Kummanam Rajasekharan's appointment as Mizoram Governor. Party sources feel that Mr Kummanam was given a 'clean exit' before the outcome of the Chengannur by-election is known, which may be unfavourable to the party. Local leaders said the decision was ill-timed. A BJP leader told DC that the announcement came as a shock just before the Chengannur poll.
"At a time when Kummanam and other leaders were working for the success of NDA candidate P.S. Sreeharan Pillai, his virtual transfer was unfair towards Pillai as the focus was diverted," he said. However, the fact is that factionalism in the state unit had prevented Mr Kummanam from implementing national president Amit Shah's 'South mission' properly.
Two days after Karnataka went to the polls, Mr Amit Shah had held a meeting of state presidents and organising general secretaries in New Delhi to prepare a plan for the next Lok Sabha elections. Mr Kummanam and organising general secretary M. Ganesh had attended it. Mr Amit Shah had reportedly asked Mr Kummanam to win two Lok Sabha seats, but he explained the hurdles towards achieving the goal. Mr Amit Shah was not happy and planned some drastic action.
It may be recalled that three years ago when the BJP held its national executive meeting in Kozhikode, Mr Kummanam was entrusted with the task of winning 11 Lok Sabha seats. This was scaled down later. The BJP campaign in Chengannur had become lacklustre earlier. Thereafter, B.L. Santhosh, joint organising general secretary, took charge of the campaign along with Mr Ganesh and they hope to wrest a sizable number of votes from the CPM.
Mr Kummanam was made the state president when groupism was at its worst. Though he could not bring in drastic changes, he managed to steer the party well, though the medical college scam dented the image of some leaders. On Saturday, Mr Kummanam spent most of the time at his sister's house at Thalavady in Alappuzha.
