THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The BJP’s crushing defeat in the Palakkad assembly by-election has led to severe criticism from within the party. Many leaders are blaming state president K Surendran and candidate Krishnakumar for the defeat in the constituency. With the party’s central leadership denying the reports of a change of leadership in the state unit, K Surendran is certain to stay on for the time being. Meanwhile, the central leadership was surprised by the intense controversy surrounding the by-election in a state where the party doesn’t even have a single MLA.

It is alleged that the state president failed to take a clear stand on issues ranging from candidate selection to the controversies that arose during the campaign. Many even demanded that he step down by taking responsibility for the defeat. The state leadership meeting that will be held in Kochi on Tuesday is expected to be crucial. State in-charge Prakash Javadekar will also attend the meeting.

Following the announcement of the election results, national council member N Sivarajan had responded that the party’s issue lies with the leadership, not the grassroots. Sivarajan was one of the leaders who advocated that Sobha Surendran should be named the candidate in Palakkad. He pointed out that Sobha Surendran, V Muraleedharan, and K Surendran are the three faces capable of canvassing votes effectively. Meanwhile, BJP state vice president B Gopalakrishnan stated during a channel discussion that the state president should be the one who should answer about the reason for the party’s defeat in the by-elections. Former Union Minister V Muraleedharan sidestepped controversy by dodging questions.

According to the BJP state leadership, the party failed to secure any additional votes in Palakkad as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not come to the state for election campaign this time. However, no one has taken this explanation at face value. National leaders generally do not campaign for by-elections, nor does the national leadership take victories or defeats in such elections too seriously. The state leadership is expected to manage everything, including campaign funds. The central leadership does not view the Palakkad by-election defeat as a sign of organizational crisis. K Surendran is taking the defensive stance after realising this. State in-charge Prakash Javadekar has also clarified that a leadership change is not on the agenda.