Pathanamthitta: BJP has faced a setback in the attempts to field Pandalam royal family representative in the Kerala assembly polls. The royal family has asserted that there is no politics in Sabarimala issue and they are not interested to contest the polls.

Though BJP recommended the royal family to field a member of the family as an independent candidate, they refused to approve it.

BJP has taken efforts to bring a member of the Pandalam royal family to the electoral fray after the Sabarimala issue became a heated topic of discussion in the election-bound Kerala.

The saffron party has also held talks with the representatives of the Pandalam royal family regarding this. But they did not accept BJP’s repeated request.

BJP has approached Pandalam palace executive committee president Sasi Kumara Varma and secretary Narayana Varma seeking their candidature in the polls. A few days ago, BJP state president K Surendran visited the Pandalam royal family and held talks with them.

But the palace representatives has declared that they are not interested to uphold the Sabarimala issue as a political subject. The royals also refused to field a representative as BJP backed independent candidate. 

BJP has planned to field Pandalam royal family representative from Aranmula seat. If any of the Pandalam royals enters the electoral fray, Kerala will discuss the Sabarimala issue during the polls. With this, NDA will be successful to make the polls favourable to them, the party had assumed.