Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP central leadership has finally decided to bite the bullet and select PS Sreedharan Pillai as the president of the party in Kerala.
The position has been lying vacant since May when former chief Kummanam Rajashekharan was packed off to Mizoram as Governor, much to the chagrin of the RSS. The Sangh had wanted the BJP to pick a leader acceptable to it as well, which delayed the appointment.
Since then, the party has been unable to capitalise fully on various issues like the rise of Popular Front extremism, rain havoc and the Sabarimala row.
In picking Pillai, it seems the BJP has decided to build consensus among the different factions in the state as he is not committed to any one particular group. This would be Pillai’s second shot at being state president. His first was in the 2003-2006 period.
A renowned lawyer, Pillai is seen as a moderate face of the BJP as he is inclined towards soft Hindutva. He has been careful to distance himself from any sensations and has a clean image as a politician.
However, for many hardliners in the party, especially those close to the RSS leadership, Pillai is an unacceptable leader as he is seen as someone too willing to compromise.
When he had contested the recent Chengannur by-elections, a pained Pillia opened his heart to News18 hours before the counting, alleging there was an effort by his own party men to make him fail.
And fail he did spectacularly, with his votes from the previous poll falling from 42,000 to around 25,000. He was expected to come at least second, but lost that place to the Congress.
At the state level, Pillai’s image as a veteran of the Vajpayee era could help the BJP attract some fence-sitters as he enjoys an equally good rapport with BJP’s core voters and also the Christian church. That goodwill could work in his favour, just as it did for the lone BJP MLA in Kerala Assembly, O Rajagopal, in Nemom.
Despite this, factionalism would continue to be his biggest challenge and he would have his task cut out ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.
News18 has learnt that Rajya Sabha MP V Muraleedharan, who commands considerable influence, had pushed for the selection of controversial leader K Surendran as state chief. But that plan was scotched by the RSS who view Muraleedharan with suspicion.
Rumours had also been doing the rounds that Amit Shah may prefer to parachute in an RSS leader or handover the reins to a younger leader. However, that also has not happened.
At the end of day, it is evident that Pillai has been a compromise candidate. The BJP has a fighting chance to win in at least 3 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala. Many question whether Pillai can successfully unite the party and throw it into full election mode in the coming months.
The fact that the top leadership is still unsure is evident as BJP sources indicated Kummanam may be brought back to the state after the Mizoram elections later this year as NDA Chairman. It is understood that RSS pressure may be behind such a plan, although nothing has been made official.
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