Amid pre-poll surveys that have forecast the possibility of it opening account in the State and registering a handsome increase in its vote-share in the coming lok Sabha election, the BJP in Kerala has embarked on a spirited poll campaign which will go into full swing by the end of the first week of next month.
The party has already drawn up a preliminary list of the candidates to be fielded in the 20 lok Sabha constituencies in the State. However, the election committee of the party meeting on February 28 will give final shape to the list and some names of candidates will be declared in the first week of March itself while the full list will be published later.
Sources in the party said that the leadership had been getting encouraging responses from the pre-campaign workshops currently being held in the Parliament constituencies for workers and middle and lower rung leaders. So far, such workshops have been held in six constituencies. The plan is to conduct such workshops in all panchayats in the State before March 7.
“As far as the lok Sabha election is concerned, the Kerala BJP will be ready for it politically and organisationally by the first week of March,” said BJP’s national secretary and former Kerala chief PK Krishnadas who, along with State party president V Muraleedharan, is at the helm of the campaign affairs in Kerala.
Sources said that Muraleedharan and Krishnadas might not be contesting the election but would dedicate their entire time and energies for leading and coordinating the campaign of the party. The two leaders giving leadership to the campaign jointly would also help in countering the allegations of groupism within the State unit of the party, they hoped.
The State leadership is of the feeling that the party is going to make immense gain in the coming election from the disillusionment of the people with the Congress-led ruling UDF and the CPI(M)-headed lDF which are allegedly engaged in a game of “politics of understanding” as seen in all major political issues.
“This ‘adjustment politics’ was seen in play in the case of the brutal murder of (rebel Marxist leader) TP Chandrasekharan (of Onchiyam, Kozhikode) and the solar power scam. The people have now learned to see through their betrayal. We are determined to further expose the unholy understanding between the Congress and the Marxists,” said a BJP leader.