PC George moves to BJP block

Thiruvananthapuram: PC George, leader of Kerala Janapaksham, and one who got elected to the state assembly beating three fronts from Poonjar constituency, has announced that that he will form a separate block with his friend O. Rajagopal of the BJP in the Assembly to protect the faith of the Sabarimala devotees.

George who has of late been staunchly critical of the Left government's actions in the Sabarimala area, declared his stand after parleys with the state and national leadership of BJP.

"I have been working with Rajagopal since 2016. We have been sharing the time allotted to us to speak in the Assembly as others would not give me time. We will sit together as a separate block," he said.

George had earlier held discussions with state BJP president PS Sreedharan Pilla too. Pilla said later that they will fight for the rights of the devotees. The BJP state leadership also issued a statement saying that the Kerala Janapaksham led by Mr George and BJP will work together.

The Kerala Janapaksham had regained power in Poonjar panchayat with the support of the BJP on Monday. Vice-chairperson Lisamma Sunny had stepped down after sharing power with the CPM for three years. She returned to power with the support of the BJP councillors.

Earlier, George had withdrawn the Kerala Janapaksham support to the CPM in Erumeli panchayat and moved a no-confidence motion with the support of the BJP.

Apart from these developments, the equations in the state are such that Janapaksham would have no foothold of its own without tying up with one or another front. It was reported that for the parliamentary elections due by May next year, George has been nurturing ambitions of getting his son Shaun George elected from Kottayam or Pathanamthitta constituency which he had discussed with BJP. The BJP on its part is of the perception that George's presence would be helpful to them.

However, it remains to be seen to what extent George's parliamentary plans would be entertained by other components of the BJP's front NDA. Already, the BJP camp has other aspirants for the seats of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, including MT Ramesh who had contested last time and Alphons Kannanthanam, who is a Rajya Sabha member now. The PC Thomas version of Kerala Congress is also setting its eyes on Kottayam.

Minority Yuva Morcha's state president Noble Mathew is also heard to have expressed interest in the Pathanamthitta seat. Overall, handling so many of erstwhile Kerala Congress aspirants for seats in the district may pose a headache for the BJP leadership.