After drawing flak for its poor performance in the local body polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit has kick-started the process to better its performance for the Assembly polls due in April.
Party president J.P. Nadda will be on a two-day to the State next week. He will attend a core- committee meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on February 3 and hold parleys with various elected representatives and community leaders in Thrissur the next day.
His meeting with senior leaders assumes significance even as the party State unit is grappling with power struggles and leadership tussles in the past few months.
Sources said the party would focus on some key Assembly segments for which a survey has already been conducted. In the 2016 elections, the BJP managed to open its account in the Assembly through O. Rajagopal who won from Nemom segment in Thiruvananthapuram.
Now the nonagenarian has indicated that the time has arrived for him to hang up his political boots. However, several senior leaders are eyeing the seat and a few have already hinted of throwing their hat into the ring.
In the previous polls, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had garnered 14.96% of the total votes. The party nominees also finished second in Manjeshwaram, Kasaragod, Malampuzha, Chathanoor, Kazhakoottam and Vattiyoorkavu. Thus known faces of the party would be contesting the polls this time also.
However, State president K. Surendran has announced his intention not to enter the fray. A positive decision on his candidature as well as that of Minister for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan would give a fillip to the electoral fortunes of the party, the sources said.
To strike a chord with voters, the State leadership is strategically working hard to balance the caste quotient among Hindu communities as well as giving prominence to the Christian community. Besides, the party will highlight the achievements of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
