In a twist of events, Mizoram governor Kummanam Rajasekharan has quit his post officially. His resignation has been accepted by the President of India and current Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi shall serve as the interim governor until further notice.
However, there’s more to it than what meets the eye. According to confirmed media sources, the current resignation of K Rajasekharan is a deliberate strategy employed by BJP keeping the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, to be held the following month.
If all goes well, K Rajasekharan might contest the polls against the incumbent MP from Thiruvananthapuram and ex-UPA minister, Shashi Tharoor. For those unaware, Tharoor had narrowly won this seat in 2014, defeating the BJP candidate by almost 17000 votes.
Going by K Rajasekharan’s current statement, this looks likely as well. To quote his statement, “I have resigned as the party wished that I should be in Kerala. I also wished to be in Kerala and hence I have quit.”
Ever since they created history with their first win in Kerala assembly elections of 2016, BJP aims to make more inroads into the communist den. Reports were rife that BJP could field celebrated Mohanlal against Tharoor in the upcoming election, though it didn’t convert into reality on the ground. Despite the ‘setback’, BJP has set their eyes on Thiruvananthapuram, which is considered as a prestigious parliamentary seat by many.
As of K Rajasekharan, he is a good choice. Having been the state BJP head before being appointed as the governor of Mizoram, K Rajasekharan knows the state from within. As such, he shall be of great advantage to BJP should he contest against Shashi Tharoor.
On the other hand, Shashi Tharoor has kept a brave face about the same. In a nonchalant statement, he mentioned, “Not seeing this as fight against individual rather against party. As far as Mr Rajasekharan is concerned, he’s been kind enough to come to my son’s wedding reception, no personal bitterness.”
If true, the decision to field K Rajasekharan will prove to be a game changer for BJP. A win here will change the perception about BJP in South India.