Rajeev Chandrasekhar tasked with bridging divides and building momentum

Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been appointed to lead the BJP in the state. Ahead of being announced as the party's state president, he shared the message of Gurudev on social media, "Be enlightened by knowledge, be strong by organisation." This can certainly be seen as a good start. Speculations about the new BJP state president have been active in the news media for months, especially on social media. Rajeev Chandrasekhar was the only name mentioned for the BJP president who was outside the group. The BJP's national leadership may have realised that re-electing a state leader could prolong internal disputes and harm their chances in the 2026 assembly elections. This might have led them to consider a fresh face yet uninvolved in state politics. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, popular within the party and among the public after his strong performance against Shashi Tharoor in the last Lok Sabha elections, became their choice.

To prevent group disputes from continuing, the national general secretary, who was in charge of the organisational elections, had also submitted a report that a new leader should become the president. K. Surendran is stepping down after completing five years as the BJP president. No one can deny the fact that the BJP was able to achieve good growth in the state during his tenure as president. It is a noteworthy achievement that the BJP won the Lok Sabha seat for the first time during K. Surendran's tenure, which the LDF leaders were seriously and sarcastically saying would never happen. BJP candidates were also able to perform brilliantly in Thiruvananthapuram and Chirayinkeezhu.

As a continuation of this, the task of taking the party to the next level is primarily entrusted to Rajeev Chandrasekhar. It is often the quarrels and disputes over positions that lead to the formation and growth of groups. Keeping deserving people aside in the name of the group does not solve problems but only worsens them. Therefore, the new president can strengthen the organisation only through a complete overhaul that brings everyone together. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is also an excellent professional, is likely to succeed in that. The task of reshaping the party's face in an efficient way before the 2026 assembly elections is very important. At the same time, the new leader needs to take actions and approaches to overcome the lack of experience at the grassroots level of the party.

In the last parliamentary elections, the BJP came first in eleven assembly constituencies in the state. However, this may not be repeated in the upcoming assembly elections. The selection of candidates is very important. We can expect Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is a technocrat who has studied professionally, to make decisions without making mistakes in caste and religious equations. Pinarayi Vijayan, who leads the LDF, is a personality who holds a big stature in state politics. The leaders of the UDF have also proven their ability and excellence in politics. The biggest challenge awaiting the new president is the immense effort required to grow to the point of opposing them in a short period of time. The opinions, interventions and approaches expressed on various issues will be evaluated by impartial people outside the BJP.