It may be sheer coincidence but Thiruvananthapuram is hosting new important functionaries of the Sangh Parivar who are on a visit to the State.
While the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is here on the last leg of his week-long tour, BJP president Amit Shah arrived in the State Capital late last night.
Neither would the two meet each other individually during their visit here nor are they scheduled to attend together any single function, BJP sources said.
Shah will start off his day with a visit to the Sreeadmanabhaswamy temple here before he addresses a meeting of the State committee of the party.
The RSS Sarsangchalak, on the other hand, is scheduled to fly out of the State to Nagpur after he attends a small function in the morning.
Pon Radhakrishnan, Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, and who represents neighbouring Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency, who is already here as part of a separate programme, will join Shah. Radhakrishnan is also in charge of Kerala affairs of BJP.
Poll readiness
The party president is here to assess the preparedness of the State unit ahead of the elections to the local self-government bodies next year, the sources said.
The overwhelming sentiment in the unit is for the party to fight on its own and try to "open an account and announce its arrival'' in electoral politics in the State when the fortunes of the party are on the ascendant elsewhere in the country.
This puts paid to moves initiated by some circles to "befriend elements from the ruling coalition'' in an attempt to expand the base of the party ahead of the elections to the local bodies followed by those to the State Assembly.
It was being rumoured that the Kerala Congress party led by Finance Minister KM Mani was being wooed by a section of the party, which was vehemently denied later by V Muraleedharan, President of the State unit.
Factional feud
Observers are of the view that Shah will have a task cut out for himself selling the idea of unity to a State unit that is tore down the middle by rival factions.
Disgruntled elements in the State unit has been driving a campaign against Muraleedharan and seeking his replacement.
But the party central leadership had sent out a strong message against factionalism by removing PK Krishnadas, who is accused of leading the campaign against the State party chief, from being a secretary at the national level.
In this background, the on-the-spot assessment by Shah of the situation would be crucial in terms of the direction that the party would likely take as the State goes into the polls to the local bodies and not too long after, the State Assembly.