After Two-Month Search, BJP Appoints Sreedharan Pillai As Its Kerala Unit Chief

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed P S Sreedharan Pillai as the president of its Kerala unit, thus putting an end to a two-month search. The post of the state unit president fell vacant after Kummanam Rajasekharan was appointed Mizoram government.

Malayalam daily Manorama reported that BJP President Amit Shah made the announcement last evening (30 July). Hectic consultations and discussions preceded the appointment of Pillai, who lost the recent by-elections to Chengannur assembly constituency and seen as not belonging to any faction in the state party unit. Pillai, a lawyer and writer, had earlier held the post between 2003 and 2006. Shah had earlier rejected the recommendations to appoint K Surendran.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was reportedly upset over Rajasekharan’s appointment as Mizoram governor. Rajasekharan was deputed to the BJP from the RSS, which asked the BJP to justify its move to shift him. Besides Surendran and Pillai, A N Radhakrishnan was also short-listed for the post.

The vacancy to the state president’s post resulted in the party’s state committee being unable to meet all these days. Manorama reported that Rajasekharan could be brought back to Kerala politics and is likely to be asked to contest from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.