Palakkad bypoll aftermath: Will K Surendran step down as Kerala BJP chief?

In the aftermath of the BJP’s electoral defeat in Palakkad assembly by-election, Kerala state president K Surendran has come under fire. Addressing the media in Kozhikode today, Surendran admitted to the party’s inability to retain its base votes in the constituency and took full responsibility as state president for the setback.
“As the state president, I am destined to bear the responsibility for the defeat,” Surendran stated. “The president always gets blamed when there is a loss. I take the primary responsibility for this defeat.”
He further explained that the party leadership, including senior figures like Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, will decide his future role. “If there are shortcomings in my work, it should be audited. The central leadership will decide whether I should stay or leave,” he added.
However, he clarified that any decision regarding his resignation would be made by the BJP’s central leadership.
Surendran also drew comparisons to past elections, noting that V Muraleedharan faced no resignation calls when BJP secured just 2,000 votes in Piravom during his tenure as state president.
Even as Surendran addressed the speculation, BJP national leadership threw its weight behind him. National spokesperson and BJP’s Kerala in-charge in a post on X state no one was resigning.
Despite Javadekar’s assertion, sources within the party said that Surendran’s resignation was on the cards as many party workers and leaders were equally unhappy with the state functioning body.
The BJP’s loss in Palakkad fuelled criticism over the selection of its candidate, C Krishnakumar, who failed to replicate the success of E Sreedharan in the 2021 state assembly election. Addressing this issue, Surendran clarified that the candidate was chosen by the BJP Parliamentary Board after two other potential candidates declined to contest.
“Kummanam Rajasekharan was in charge of selecting candidates across the state,” he explained. “The final decision on Palakkad’s candidate was approved by the BJP’s Parliamentary Board, which includes leaders like Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. In 2021, Krishnakumar managed to increase the BJP’s vote count in Malampuzha from 3,000 to 50,000, but unfortunately, this could not translate into a victory in Palakkad.”
Surendran also dismissed media reports alleging favouritism in the candidate selection process, stating that public comments on the matter would be reviewed.
Surendran also questioned the selective focus on Palakkad’s results while ignoring trends in other constituencies, such as the decrease in UDF votes in Chelakkara. “Why is no one talking about the decrease in UDF votes in Chelakkara?” he asked, urging for a wider discussion about the state’s shifting electoral dynamics.
In the recent by-poll, BJP’s performance in Palakkad pushed the party 10 years back as the vote share was even less than that of 2016 state assembly elections.
In 2016, Sobha Surendran secured 40,076 votes in Palakkad increasing the vote share from 19.86 per cent to 29.08 per cent. In 2021, the vote share further increased to 50,220 (35.34%) in 2021, with ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan losing by 3,859 votes.
This time however, the vote share was at 28.63 per cent, which is 830 votes fewer than the 2016 tally. CPI(M)-backed P Sarin won 37,293 votes, losing the second spot by just over 2,000 voters.
Surendran, however, downplayed the setback, stating it was common for the BJP to see reduced votes in Kerala by-elections.
He claimed that many votes for ‘Metro Man’ Sreedharan in the 2021 Assembly polls were apolitical, with cross-party support. However, he admitted, “In Palakkad, there was a decrease in the number of votes. We will introspect on it.”
K Surendran assumed charge as Kerala BJP chief in February 2020 and completed one term in office. According to a party source, had the BJP secured a victory in Palakkad, the central leadership was likely to extend his term through the 2026 assembly elections. However, following the bypoll defeat, calls for Surendran’s removal from other factions within the state unit were expected to grow stronger, the source added.
The BJP’s underwhelming performance in Palakkad intensified internal divisions as Surendran faced the challenge of reinvigorating the party ahead of key elections, including local body polls in November 2025 and assembly elections in May 2026.
The defeat came at a crucial juncture, with Surendran’s term ending in February 2025, and his aspirations for a third term now appeared uncertain.