<p class="title">Trying to make the most of the Sabarimala issue in Kerala, the BJP is now trying to bring CPM leader A Padmakumar into the saffron fold after he faced the wrath of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Padmakumar is the president of Travancore Devaswom Board, which looks after the affairs of temples in the state including Sabarimala, and is a former MLA from Pathanamthitta district— where the temple is located.</p>.<p class="bodytext">BJP sources said that Padmakumar would be a good catch for the BJP to embarrass the ruling CPM in Kerala, where the latter is trying to enforce the Supreme Court verdict lifting a ban on allowing women in the age-group of 10-50 years to enter the Sabarimala temple.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Party chief Amit Shah is learnt to have given a green signal and some feel a decision may come by the first week of November.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shah is planning to visit Sabarimala when the temple re-opens for devotees as part of a BJP campaign to keep the issue alive till the Lok Sabha elections.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The party's state unit is also organising a 'Rath Yatra' in November.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sources said that their is an attempt to bring Padmakumar to the party and field him in Pathanamathitta constituency in the Lok Sabha elections.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Currently, Congress holds the seat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Padmakumar had initially deviated from the CPM and government stand, when he indicated that the Board may file a review petition against the verdict and later suggested that it will file a report on the situation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A section of CPM leaders had earlier claimed that Padmakumar was indicating his political preferences by taking a stand against the government.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The BJP is trying to increase its footprint in the state and during Shah's recent visit, former chairman of Isro G Madhavan Nair and former Congress leader G Raman Nair, who headed Travancore Devaswom Board, joined the party among others.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Supreme Court order resulted in protests by a section of devotees with the BJP and Hindutva organisations as well as state unit of the Congress on one side and the state government on the other side.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier this month, when the temple was opened for devotees there were violent protests and some even prevented women entering the temple.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The BJP sees a political opportunity in the issue in Kerala, where it is yet to get a foothold in electoral politics.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It opened its account in the 2016 Kerala Assembly polls.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It is yet to have an MP from the state.</p>
<p class="title">Trying to make the most of the Sabarimala issue in Kerala, the BJP is now trying to bring CPM leader A Padmakumar into the saffron fold after he faced the wrath of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Padmakumar is the president of Travancore Devaswom Board, which looks after the affairs of temples in the state including Sabarimala, and is a former MLA from Pathanamthitta district— where the temple is located.</p>.<p class="bodytext">BJP sources said that Padmakumar would be a good catch for the BJP to embarrass the ruling CPM in Kerala, where the latter is trying to enforce the Supreme Court verdict lifting a ban on allowing women in the age-group of 10-50 years to enter the Sabarimala temple.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Party chief Amit Shah is learnt to have given a green signal and some feel a decision may come by the first week of November.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shah is planning to visit Sabarimala when the temple re-opens for devotees as part of a BJP campaign to keep the issue alive till the Lok Sabha elections.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The party's state unit is also organising a 'Rath Yatra' in November.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sources said that their is an attempt to bring Padmakumar to the party and field him in Pathanamathitta constituency in the Lok Sabha elections.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Currently, Congress holds the seat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Padmakumar had initially deviated from the CPM and government stand, when he indicated that the Board may file a review petition against the verdict and later suggested that it will file a report on the situation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A section of CPM leaders had earlier claimed that Padmakumar was indicating his political preferences by taking a stand against the government.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The BJP is trying to increase its footprint in the state and during Shah's recent visit, former chairman of Isro G Madhavan Nair and former Congress leader G Raman Nair, who headed Travancore Devaswom Board, joined the party among others.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Supreme Court order resulted in protests by a section of devotees with the BJP and Hindutva organisations as well as state unit of the Congress on one side and the state government on the other side.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier this month, when the temple was opened for devotees there were violent protests and some even prevented women entering the temple.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The BJP sees a political opportunity in the issue in Kerala, where it is yet to get a foothold in electoral politics.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It opened its account in the 2016 Kerala Assembly polls.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It is yet to have an MP from the state.</p>
