Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP's decades-long efforts to make inroads into the social fabric of Kerala entered another step on Saturday with firebrand leader K Surendran taking over as the chief of party's state unit.
Surendran, the Sangh Parivar's face of Sabarimala agitation in Kerala, assumed charge as the BJP state president at the saffron party's headquarters, Mararji Bhavan, here. Hundreds of party workers and senior leaders including Union Minister V Muraleedharan and BJP national secretary H Raja were present.
Addressing the workers after assuming charge, the 50-year-old leader said the BJP has the strength to make a political leap in the southern state and it would be the voice of people in the event of the opposition Congress-led UDF being inactive.
Surendran, who arrived in the state capital in the morning, was given a rousing welcome by the party workers, before being taken to the headquarters in a road show.
BJP president J P Nadda appointed Surendran as the party's Kerala unit chief last week after the state unit remained headless for over three months.
The party's topmost post was lying vacant in Kerala after P S Sreedharan Pillai was appointed Mizoram Governor in October 2019.
Surendran's appointment comes at a time when Kerala is gearing up for the local body election this year and the assembly polls in 2021.
Surendran had been a front-runner for the presidentship since the beginning.
A close confidant of V Muraleedharan, the young leader has a tough task ahead of him to gain seats and increase the party vote share in the impending polls.
Hailing from Ulleyeri in Kozhikode, Kunnummel Surendran had contested unsuccessfully from Pathnamthitta in the Lok Sabha polls held last year.
Six months later, he was fielded from Konni in the assembly bypoll, which also he lost.
He was defeated in the 2016 assembly polls by a meagre 89 votes from the Manjeswaram constituency.
(With inputs from PTI)
