Day after BJP’s dismal show in Kerala bypolls, ally speaks out

Except in Manjeswar, where it came second, the BJP fell to a distant third in the other four constituencies.

PC George, leader of the Kerala Janapaksham Secular and an ally of the BJP, indicated Friday that not all is well within the NDA in the state and vowed not to attend future NDA meetings.

“As an ally, we are disheartened. If this state continues, we don’t know how long we can continue with the BJP,” George told reporters at a press conference.

George was elected as an Independent from Poonjar in the 2016 Assembly election.

George, a former Kerala Congress (M) leader known for not mincing words, said it seemed as if the BJP’s central leadership has disowned the state unit.

“Wasn’t Amit Shah said to be a great man? Why isn’t he doing anything about this?”

He also criticised the move behind nominating BJP general secretary K Surendran in the Konni bye-election.

“If Surendran had fought in Manjeswar, he would have got elected to the Assembly. (It seemed as if BJP) leaders don’t want him to get elected…generally, candidates compete to win. Here they are competing to lose,” George hit out.

“In my personal experience, BJP workers are 100% committed. I saw that in many places, their love for the party is strong. But I cannot even see a smile on the faces of leaders. I don’t know how many groups are there (within the BJP).”

He also alleged that leaders of the Janapaksham are not given importance within the NDA and that their names are not even printed on campaign leaflets.

George, who wields some influence among Christian voters in central Kerala, was drafted into the NDA in April this year with the aim of strengthening support for the BJP among the community. But so far, the move hasn’t really worked for the BJP.

In the Pala bye-election held last month, where the BJP had expected to increase its vote-share, the party saw a significant drop in votes.

In the bypoll results announced on Thursday, the BJP suffered a humiliating rout in the Vattiyoorkavu constituency in the state capital, losing up to 18,000 votes compared to the Lok Sabha elections.

In Manjeswaram too, where the party lost by a mere 89 votes in 2016, the gap between the BJP candidate and the winning IUML candidate widened to over 7,500 votes this time.