Rajendran joins BJP: Devikulam eyes a breakthrough
Rajendran joins BJP: Devikulam eyes a breakthrough
In Kerala’s Devikulam, three-time CPI(M) MLA Rajendran’s switch to BJP signals a bid to expand among plantation workers, with a new cooperative and rallies planned in Munnar.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala is aiming for a breakthrough in the Devikulam Assembly constituency after three-time CPI(M) MLA S. Rajendran joined the party this week. Devikulam has long been a Left-leaning stronghold, with Tamil plantation workers and tribal communities forming a large share of the electorate. BJP insiders say the party already has influence in Edamalakkudy and Vattavada panchayats, and Rajendran's entry could help broaden that footprint into the plantation sector.
A public meeting in Munnar is slated for February 8, where Rajendran and other leaders will receive their primary membership cards. Party sources say more leaders from other parties could join in the coming days, signaling a broader push to realign votes ahead of the assembly polls.
Rajendran announced the launch of the Winner Multi-Credit Cooperative Society, set to start operations in Munnar on January 30. He will serve as an advisory member of the credit society, which aims to provide financial assistance to plantation workers for needs including small-scale farming. The intent, supporters say, is to use the cooperative platform to cement ties with plantation laborers.
The CPI(M) has kept a wary eye on the shifts in Devikulam. K.V. Sasi, a district secretariat member, argued that the majority of voters are plantation workers affiliated with unions such as CITU, AITUC and INTUC, whose long-standing ideology will not flip simply because of Rajendran's switch. He invoked the Pombilai Orumai movement as a cautionary precedent, suggesting that on-ground loyalties run deeper than party lines.
As assembly elections approach, the Devikulam contest illustrates how candidate-level shifts and new financial schemes could shape the battle lines between the Left and the BJP in a constituency with a unique social and economic makeup.
