Kerala BJP panel fails to identify new president

The core committee of the Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that met here on Sunday failed to reach consensus on new state party chief.

Since the resignation of P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, named the Mizoram Governor in October, the state BJP has failed to identify his successor.

According to sources, at the Sunday meeting three names -- K. Surendran, M.T. Ramesh and Sobha Surendran -- came up for discussion. They all are below 50 years of age.

The meeting was chaired by national organisation secretary B.L. Santhosh.

While Surendran is being backed by the faction headed by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, Ramesh has the support of former state BJP chief P.K. Krishnadas. Former Union Minister and the lone BJP legislator in Kerala O. Rajagopal wants Sobha Surendran as the new president.

The party's national leadership wants to end the stalemate and is expected to name the new president by the end of this month or early January.IANS