Kerala polls: Confidence in BJP

A confident BJP on Monday claimed that it would have “effective presence” in the 13th Kerala Assembly, the election to which would be held in three months’ time. A meeting of the core committee of the party in Kochi decided to intensify the efforts to ensure brilliant performance in the coming election.

Sushma Swaraj, Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha and the central leader in charge of Kerala affairs, told newsmen after the meeting that the party’s goal in the coming Kerala Assembly election was not just to “open account” but to have an effective presence of BJP representatives in the Legislature.

The party would field candidates in the party’s own Lotus symbol in all the 140 Assembly constituencies in the State in the coming polls, she said, adding that there was an anti-Congress wave everywhere in the country and this was visible in Kerala also. In the State, there was an anti-Left sentiment and these factors would work in the BJP’s favour, she claimed.

Apart from the issues of rising prices of essential commodities and rampant corruption and the irregularities in the appointment of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner, the current controversies over the sex scandal involving Muslim League leader PK Kunhalikutty would reflect in the coming polls, Sushma Swaraj said.

She said the BJP was fulfilling the obligations of a watchdog in the absence of any such force in Kerala. There were convincing indications that the election result this time would be different, she added. The party has also formed a special committee for election-related matters.

The core committee decided to begin efforts for ensuring the support of community organizations like the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam in the coming polls and it entrusted senior State leaders with this task. The party would hold workers’ convention in all districts to take decision on the candidates to be fielded.

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