BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday announced that NDA constituent leader Thushar Vellappally, president of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), will be their nominee against Congress president Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad in Kerala.
The BDJS is a political party formed by leaders of influential but economically backward Ezhava community aiming to make inroads into Kerala’s bipolar political space, which was dominated by either Congress led UDF or CPI-M led LDF.
Set up by the social organisation Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, the BDJS in largely seen as the third front in the state.
“I proudly announce Thushar Vellappally, President of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena as NDA candidate from Wayanad,” BJP chief Amit Shah tweeted.
Mr Shah also wrote: “A vibrant and dynamic youth leader, he represents our commitment towards development and social justice. With him, NDA will emerge as Kerala’s political alternative”.
On Sunday, the Congress announced that Mr Gandhi, who is also contesting from Amethi in UP, will make Wayanad his second constituency.
Interacting with a private TV Channel on Sunday, BJP chief Mr Shah also has said: “I am not saying Rahul Gandhiji is moving to Kerala because of he faces a tough fight in Amethi this time, but this is the fact”.
In 2009 and 2014, Congress leader M I Shanavas had won the seat defeating CPI nominees on both the occasions.
The seat fell vacant in November owing to the death of Shanavas on November 21, 2018.
Nilambur, Wandoor and Eranad assembly segments under the Wayanad constituency have a sizable Muslim population.
The Muslim League also has strong presence. Another assembly segment Thiruvambady has almost equal number of Christian and Muslim population, say locals.
Among the Left partners, the Wayanad seat went to CPI and the party has already named P P Suneer, a state CPI executive member as the candidate. CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy has announced that the party will not withdraw candidate in favour of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and will fight the election with full might.
Thushar Vellappally was earlier named as candidate from Thrissur but the new decision was taken in the wake of Mr Gandhi contesting from Wayanad.
In the last few years, BJP Chief Amit Shah worked hard with leaders of state and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) who took up the cause of Ezhava community.
In fact, the coming together of SNDP and BJP had in 2015-16 had unnerved both UDF and LDF leaders and even some case were slapped on SNDP.
BJP sources said here while Kerala Congress president V M Sudheeran had sought legal action alleging against the organisation for trying to divide society along religious lines, CPI(M) veteran VS Achuthanandan had filed a vigilance complaint seeking a probe into alleged irregularities of Rs 15 crore in the micro-finance scheme of SNDP.
The State’s cultural capital is witnessing a triangular contest this time. UDF’s T.N. Prathapan and LDF’s Rajaji Mathew Thomas have already completed multiple rounds of campaigns in the constituency.
Thrissur — Thushar Vellappally is state president of the BDJS and convenor of the NDA. He is also vice-president of the powerful community organisation Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP).
Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) is a political party in Kerala, India which is led by Thushar Vellappally, the son of the General Secretary of the SNDP Yogam, a social organisation in Kerala. BDJS is a political party formed with the aim of the well-being and development of the entire Ezhava and thiyya community. BDJS is coming as a third front in the political scenario of Kerala which has been ruled by the left–right governments for more than sixty years.
Aiming to make inroads into Kerala’s bipolar political space, the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a social organisation of the backward Ezhava community, today announced the formation of a new political party — Bharat Dharma Jana Sena — “to ensure equal rights and justice for all”.
“The aim of the party is not to make a Hindu rashtra. This is a secular party,” SNDP General Secretary Vellapally Natesan said at the launch of the new outfit at a massive rally on Shankumukham beach here following the culmination of his 16- day ‘Samathwa Munnata Yatra’ to unite Hindu caste outfits.
Questioning the secular credentials of mainstream political parties, Natesan hit out at both the ruling Congress -led UDF and CPI(M)-headed LDF in the state and said it was an ‘adjustment rule’ all these years by the two alliances, which have enjoyed stints in power alternately.
The formation of a new political outfit ahead of Assembly polls next year assumes significance as SNDP has been warming to BJP in the state since the recently held civic polls, which saw the saffron party improving its position, though not on expected lines.
The tie-up between BJP and SNDP had come after a series of visits by BJP President Amit Shah to Kerala and meetings with Natesan, who also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi recently. Both UDF and LDF had fiercely attacked the SNDP leader during the run up to the civic polls and during the yatra, which began from Kasaragod on November 21.
After UDF and LDF leaders unitedly attacked the yatra, Natesan had claimed that his efforts to bring together the majority community “seems to have unnerved them” as he alleged that several “hurdles” were created by them to thwart him.
“Two cases have been registered against me. One for an alleged communal hate speech and another for alleged irregularities in a micro-finance scheme run by SNDP,” he said.
While CPI(M) veteran VS Achuthanandan had filed a vigilance complaint seeking a probe into alleged irregularities of Rs 15 crore in the micro-finance scheme of SNDP, KPCC President VM Sudheeran had sought legal action alleging that Natesan was trying to divide society along religious lines.
Hitting out at both leaders, 79-year-old Natesan had termed them ‘renegades’ and said “they are both from the Ezhava community and are baying for my blood”. (UNI)
