BJP's KSRTC protest backfires internally

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The BJP leadership in Kerala is facing internal turmoil following sharp criticism within its state core committee over a recent Mahila Morcha protest regarding KSRTC free travel. Senior leaders have reportedly termed the agitation "foolish" and "premature," pointing out that the protest was staged even before the new government had officially assumed office. High-profile leaders, including K. Surendran, V. Muraleedharan, Padmaja Venugopal, and P.C. George, led the criticism against the move.

While the decision to launch the agitation was reportedly taken by State Secretary S. Suresh, BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar distanced himself from the controversy during the meeting, claiming he was kept completely in the dark about the plan.

Beyond the protest, the core committee meeting witnessed heated debates over the recent Assembly election outcomes. Despite securing victories in three constituencies, several leaders flagged a severe lack of organisational coordination during the campaign. The committee noted that the victories of V. Muraleedharan in Kazhakkoottam and B.B. Gopakumar in Chathannoor were largely due to their sustained, years-long grassroots presence in those regions rather than a cohesive party effort.

Serious concerns were also raised regarding the party's performance in Nemom, where the victory margin plummeted drastically. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who had secured a commanding lead of over 22,000 votes from the Nemom segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saw the party's majority shrink to just 4,000 votes this time. The leadership concluded that the party's vote share has significantly eroded when compared to its landmark 2016 performance.

The internal assessment revealed that while ground conditions were favourable for the BJP to win at least 15 seats across the state, organisational failures crippled their chances. In many key constituencies, the party failed to even appoint poll managers, and in some sectors, designated leaders reportedly turned into internal rebels. Palakkad candidate Sobha Surendran also drew flak during the review. Moving forward, the leadership noted that the party's performance must be benchmarked against the 2021 general assembly statistics rather than recent by-election trends to gauge actual growth or decline.