Ending his protracted break from the political mainstream, P. C. George, the firebrand leader with a knack for colourful demagoguery and a track record of political flip-flops, has opened talks to merge his party, the Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) [KJ(S)], with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Mr. George, a seven-time member of the Kerala Assembly and United Democratic Front (UDF) Chief Whip in the Oommen Chandy government, confirmed that his party was in discussions with the BJP’s national leadership.
Mr. George’s relationship with the UDF ended in 2015 following disputes with Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani. However, he returned to the Assembly in 2016 as an Independent MLA from the Poonjar constituency.