BJP-Janapaksham merger on cards

KOTTAYAM: After facing challenges following the setback in the 2021 assembly elections, the Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), led by former MLA P C George, is contemplating a merger with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

During a visit to Delhi, party leaders P C George and his son Shone George engaged in preliminary discussions with BJP national leaders on Tuesday regarding the potential merger.

George, in an interview with TNIE, stated that a final decision would be made following comprehensive deliberations with the BJP leadership. While acknowledging the majority support for merging with the BJP among party workers, he underscored the importance of thorough discussions before arriving at a conclusion.

Having served as a legislator for three decades, George founded the Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) in 2019 after dissolving its previous iteration. Although the party initially joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2019, George later distanced himself from the BJP-led coalition.

In the 2021 assembly elections, George contested as an independent candidate but faced defeat in the Poonjar constituency, marking the first time in 25 years that he failed to secure victory.

Amidst speculation that George may contest from the Pathanamthitta constituency as an NDA candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, reports indicate that the BJP state leadership rejected George’s request to run as a candidate for Kerala Janapaksham (Secular). Instead, they urged him to join the BJP directly rather than becoming an ally of the NDA.

George has encountered political challenges since his expulsion from the Kerala Congress (M) in 2015 due to anti-party activities. Despite facing setbacks, including expulsion from the Kerala Congress (Secular) just before the 2016 assembly elections, George managed to win the Poonjar constituency as an independent candidate. Subsequently, he formed the Kerala Janapaksham party, which underwent reorganization in 2019 to become Kerala Janapaksham (Secular).