Scramble begins in BJP's Kerala unit for union ministry berth

Thiruvananthapuram, May 24: Having accomplished the party's desire to opening its account in the Kerala assembly, top BJP leaders in the state have now begun a scramble to secure a possible ministerial berth in the Narendra Modi government where a reshuffle is on the cards.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's national leadership had promised the state leaders that if they put up a credible performance, one of them will be given a cabinet berth. In the May 16 assembly polls, party veteran O.Rajagopal won the Nemom assembly seat, while in seven constituencies, the BJP finished second, up from just three second places in 2011.

Sources in the BJP indicate that superstar Suresh Gopi who last month was nominated to the upper house may not get the cabinet berth as he has already been rewarded and another post would not leave the state leaders very pleased.

But if any other leader gets the nod, then the party will have to secure his/her election to the upper house of parliament from some other state, like Rajagopal, who was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.

Choosing from a long list of aspirants is also going to be a tricky affair with those in line including state BJP president Kummanem Rajasekheran, former state president V.Muraleedharan, as well as other leaders like P.K.Krishnadas, P.S.Sreedharan Pillai and more.

In case Rajasekheran is picked, then selecting his replacement could be another problem, while Muraleedharan seems to have an edge as he is fluent in both English and Hindi, besides being in the good books of the national RSS leadership.

IANS