The party had hoped to ratchet up the pitch as the yatra passed Pinarayi, the epicentre of the CPM in more ways than one. He pointed to the "breaking news" on some channels about Shah attending the meeting and said "this could be the reason". However, the Kerala BJP had earlier announced that Shah would walk 9km today and address a rally on the way to Pinarayi. Kerala BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan (in white and sporting a beard) leading the Janraksha Yatra in Kannur on Thursday. Yesterday, the CPM had quipped about Shah's perceived retreat with the tweet: "I came, I saw, I fled."

Source: The Telegraph October 05, 2017 21:43 UTC