Thiruvananthapuram: For the first time in its history, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is poised to appoint a Christian as the president of its Kerala unit. The party’s central leadership has initiated the selection process, with central election officer Pralhad Joshi set to receive nominations for the post on Sunday.
While Kerala BJP leaders remain uncertain about the final decision, former police chief Jacob Thomas has emerged as the frontrunner for the position. This move is seen as a strategic attempt by the BJP to attract the state’s sizable Christian community while introducing a fresh leadership face. The party had previously followed a similar approach in Tamil Nadu by appointing Annamalai Kuppuswamy, an IPS officer and IIM Lucknow graduate, as its state unit chief.
A senior BJP leader, quoted by the media, remarked, “If the national leadership goes by its earlier decision, the party will have its first-ever Christian president. He has a 60:40 chance. But this is BJP. No one knows what will happen next. There are also chances that the national leadership will go for a more experienced leader.”
As per the party’s internal election process, the national leadership will select the candidate it deems most suitable and ask them to file a nomination. The new president will be officially announced on Monday at a meeting attended by around 2,000 BJP leaders, including district presidents, secretaries, state council and state committee members, office-bearers, and mandalam presidents.
In case the BJP decides to appoint a woman leader, firebrand politician Shobha Surendran is reportedly a strong contender. However, sources suggest she does not enjoy the full backing of key leaders. The party had previously approached former Kerala BJP president V Muraleedharan and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar to take charge, but both declined the offer.
Among other potential candidates, current state president K Surendran and senior leader M T Ramesh remain in the race. Surendran, who has held the position for the last five years, played a crucial role in the BJP securing its first-ever parliamentary seat in Kerala and increasing its vote share by over 19%. However, the party’s central leadership has followed a trend of replacing state presidents after a five-year term, making his reappointment uncertain.
