Kerala BJP to field 40 from minorities

In election-bound Kerala, where the Sangh Parivar has been propagating the idea of “demographic imbalance”, the BJP high command has asked its leaders as well as allies to field around 40 minority candidates for the coming Assembly elections. In Kerala, minorities, including Muslims and Christians, constitute around 47 per cent of the total population.

BJP state unit chief K. Rajashekhran, who held meetings with the party’s central leadership, including national president Amit Shah, national general secretary (organisation) Ramlal and election in-charge and Union minister J.P. Nadda, earlier this week, was told that around 40 candidates belonging to the minority community should be fielded. The Sangh Parivar, including the BJP, has been claiming in order to consolidate Hindu votes that the “demographic imbalance” could be “dangerous to the social harmony of the state”. The BJP has never had any MLA in the Kerala Assembly or an MP from the state, but is hoping that polarisation will improve its political prospects in this southern state.

Also, the BJP and Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) are likely to hold alliance and seat-sharing talks by the end of this week. BDJS is the political wing of SNDP, a powerful caste-based organisation of Ezhavas.

Sources disclosed that Mr Shah has asked Mr Rajashekhran to discuss the issue of fielding minority candidates with the BDJS as well as P.C. Joseph of the Kerala Congress which is now part of the NDA. The BJP is also in touch with smaller outfits.

With Kerala Congress (M) led by K.M. Mani apparently not willing for a pre-poll alliance with the BJP, the latter has indicated to the state party that it will not be able to “accommodate” it in the NDA fold after the elections.

Sources disclosed that the BJP central leadership was miffed with the state leaders for not resolving the seat-sharing issue with the BDJS as well as alliance talks with the Nair Service Society (NSS), another powerful caste-based organisation.

The central leadership had taken up this issue with the state leaders following which Mr Rajashekhran met the party top brass here.