The BJP in Kerala has formally made known its protest against the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) observations against flagging the Sabarimala issue as an electoral campaign agenda.

Representatives of the party, led by president PS Sreedharan Pillai, made the stand clear at an all-party meeting convened by CEO Tikaram Meena here on Wednesday.

Meena has refused to back down from his stand — neither Sabarimala nor the name of Lord Ayyappa can be invoked with a view to influencing voters.

‘Reasonable limits’

Meena suggested that political parties may refer to the issue of women’s entry into the hill shrine but within reasonable limits, which they decide by themselves.

Earlier, BJP leader and General Secretary K Surendran, as well as Kummanam Rajasekharan, former party president who recently quit as Governor of Mizoram, had joined the issue.

Surendran had said the CEO’s bid to issue such a directive was ‘illogical’ and stressed it was ‘100 per cent’ sure that the State government’s handling of the Sabarimala issue would be discussed in the campaign.

Rajasekharan, who marked a triumphant return to active politics after resigning as governor, said nobody could prevent the BJP from raising the Sabarimala issue in the campaign.

He said this while speaking to the media here after he was accorded a grand reception by BJP workers at the Thiruvananthapuram airport after meeting the Prime Minister in New Delhi.

Rajasekharan is likely to be fielded from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency to take on incumbent Shashi Tharoor of the Congress.

Meanwhile, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the State has stolen a march over both main Opposition Congress and the BJP by finalising candidates for 20 Lok Sabha seats and holding party conventions.

While the CPI(M) is contesting 16 seats, it has left the rest to the alliance partner CPI, ignoring the claims of minor partners. The LDF leadership has deftly managed to handle murmurs of angst or dissent from the latter.

Rahul to visit Kerala

The Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front has said a final list of candidates could be finalised during party President Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the State on Thursday.

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