BJP cadres in Ernakulam irked over Twenty20’s sway in seat allocation

The euphoria over the expansion of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Kerala with the entry of Twenty20, the corporate-backed political outfit, is fast turning into an albatross around the neck for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS).

Having contested 11 of the 14 Assembly constituencies in Ernakulam in 2021, the BJP is now likely to be restricted to just three, while the BDJS may have to settle for two, down from three. Twenty20 has staked claim to nine seats, having already announced candidates in seven constituencies. The BJP has so far declared nominees in Aluva, North Paravur, and Ernakulam, while the BDJS will contest from Kalamassery and Kothamangalam.

For the BJP district unit, the biggest shocker was ceding the Thripunithura Assembly constituency to Twenty20, despite having won the Thripunithura municipality— a historic first and the only local body secured by the party in the district in the last local body elections. With Congress veteran K. Babu retiring from active politics after six terms since the 1990s, the BJP had hoped to capitalise on the political vacuum.

“The party’s vote share in Thripunithura rose to 31,000 in the local body polls, up from less than 24,000 in the 2021 Assembly election. With our strengthened organisational structure and growing acceptance of development-oriented politics, we could have won the seat this time by mobilising a few thousand additional votes,” a senior BJP leader in the district said.

In fact, so confident was the BJP cadre that they had painted the ‘lotus’ symbol to reserve walls for graffiti, and had to clear it after the seat was allotted to Twenty20.

District leaders are seething over what they describe as unilateral decisions taken by the State leadership, with little regard for local inputs. Twenty20 State president Sabu M. Jacob countered that decisions regarding alliances are taken at the State level and ratified by the Central leadership since consultations at the district level are not practical.

Twenty20 has announced candidates for Vypeen, Angamaly, Thripunithura, Perumbavoor, Piravom, Thrikkakara, and Kunnathunadu and is expected to declare nominees for Kochi and Muvattupuzha soon. Mr. Jacob defended the party’s preference for professionals, entrepreneurs, and celebrities over grassroots politicians. “The domination of traditional politicians has led to stagnation in development. From inception, our candidates have been a mix of professionals and entrepreneurs with a vision for development,” he said.

A BJP leader observed that the traditional voters of the party, who have consistently voted for the lotus symbol, may hesitate to back another symbol, even if it belongs to an ally. “The defeat of Shyamala S. Prabhu in Cheralayi division of Kochi Corporation in the last local body polls is a case in point. Despite representing the division for six terms since the late 1980s, she lost after quitting the party. If the candidate alone mattered, she would have won easily,” he observed.

The BDJS, meanwhile, is disappointed over losing one seat compared to the last election and being denied its preferred Thrikkakara constituency. “However, we have been compensated somewhat in other districts such as neighbouring Alappuzha,” said P.B. Sujith, the party’s Ernakulam district president.