Trouble is brewing for the Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as eight of its councillors in the Palakkad municipality, including chairperson Prameela Sasidharan, have decided to resign on Monday.
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The resignations are a direct protest against the appointment of Prasanth Sivan as the district president. The group of dissenting councillors includes prominent leaders such as national council member N Sivarajan and state treasurer E Krishnadas, with three more councillors reportedly ready to quit.
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If the BJP fails to address their grievances, the party risks losing control of one of its two municipalities in the state.
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Meanwhile, former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sandeep Varier, who recently joined the Congress, has initiated talks with the rebel councillors in an effort to bring them into the Congress fold. This development adds to the ongoing tension within the party, which is struggling to maintain unity amidst growing dissatisfaction among its members.
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In a public response to the crisis, BJP state president K Surendran downplayed the situation, claiming that there was no real crisis within the party and that no leaders were planning to leave. However, the growing discontent is undeniable, especially as this situation coincides with rising discontent among the BJPโs allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Kerala.
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The Kottayam district committee of the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a key NDA ally, recently passed a resolution urging the BJP state leadership to sever ties with the NDA. The BDJS has expressed frustration with the BJP for failing to implement promises, including key positions in government bodies, and for ignoring the concerns of its allies. Nearly all of the BDJS’s district committees have voiced similar dissatisfaction, calling for the party to explore joining either the Left Democratic Front (LDF) or the United Democratic Front (UDF).
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Other NDA allies, including Kamaraj Congress led by Vishnupuram Chandrasekharan and Janadhipathya Rashtreeya Sabha led by CK Janu, have also raised concerns about the BJP’s leadership style. These allies met last week and discussed the possibility of breaking away from the NDA, although they deferred any final decision after BJP state in-charge Prakash Javadekar intervened.