The poll debacle in Kerala where the BJP lost its lone seat has sparked outbursts within the party with veterans coming out against the current crop of leaders, especially the state president for contesting in two constituencies and shuttling in a helicopter.

Senior RSS leader E.N. Nandakumar reminded the state BJP leaders that, “Election is not child’s play”.

Not only did the BJP-led NDA lose its lone seat that it won in the 2016 state polls, its vote share has shrunk from 14.96 per cent to 12.4 per cent, or four lakh votes, between the two state elections. From a mere 6.03 per cent vote share in the 2011 state polls, the NDA grew to 10.81 in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and then to 15.54 in the 2019 parliamentary polls. It was the steady growth in vote share that hitherto provided a relief for the state BJP leaders who consistently failed in impressing the Malayali electorate.

Nandakumar, a member of the board of the National Book Trust, slammed state BJP chief K. Surendran for his “buffoonery” in contesting from Konni and Manjeshwar and hopping between the two constituencies in a rented helicopter.

Nandakumar took to Facebook to lambast the state leadership in the faction-ridden party unit: “Contesting in more than one seat to be like Modi. Flying around in a rented helicopter in this tiny Kerala to exhibit buffoonery.”

He described the BJP leaders as “Greedy fortune seekers who hunt for new constituencies,” and remarked: “They deserve to lose.”

“Please don’t destroy this organisation built by great people who surrendered their lives in doing so. Save the state and the organisation by quitting at the earliest,” he exhorted the state leadership.

Veteran BJP leader and one of the early architects of the state unit, P.P. Mukundan, said: “We have slipped back by 15 years” with the debacle.

“Those who joined us will leave if we don’t realise we have slipped back 15 years. Why did Major Ravi leave us?” he asked alluding to the departure of the former army officer and career filmmaker who joined the Congress before the election.

Former state BJP president C.K. Padmanabhan, who contested against Pinarayi Vijayan from Dharmadam, admitted that not enough discussions were held before Surendran decided to contest in two constituencies.

“I have no clarity on the situations that led to (Surendran) contesting in two places. There were no proper discussions on this matter,” he told a channel.

The soft-spoken BJP veteran, who hails from Vijayan’s home district Kannur, reminded about an instruction from the central leadership to ensure all candidates spend enough time in one’s own constituency. “In some cases it did not happen,” Padmanabhan said alluding to Surendran’s chopper-hopping.

While Surendran finished second in Manjeshwar in Kasaragod district, he was pushed to third in Konni in Pathanamthitta district where the Sabarimala temple is located.

The usually reticent Padmanabhan came out against the party’s strategy and sought an “honest introspection” while admitting Vijayan’s good performance.

“Pinarayi Vijayan has done a lot of good things. It is not right to always find fault with them (Left). There needs to be an Opposition that would admit something is right when it is done,” he said, taking a line totally different from the one his party has taken after the younger crop of leaders took control.

“The Pinarayi (Vijayan) government has displayed much more efficiency than other states in handling this Covid crisis. Let Pinarayi Vijayan continue. There is nothing wrong with that,” said Padmanabhan.

Pushed to the wall, Surendran on Monday accepted responsibility for the dismal show. “I accept the basic responsibility of the performance,” he told a news conference in Kozhikode and welcomed any action from the leadership.

“If the central leadership thinks it is the fault of the state president, they can take appropriate action,” he said.

Asked about the strident criticism from within the party, he said: “I had to use a helicopter since I contested from two places.”

“We did not lose Nemom, Palakkad and Kazhakoottam because I contested in two places. Yet we will examine the comments (from BJP leaders) and move forward,” he added.