Kerala BJP chief K. Surendran, who is facing heat for the party’s debacle in the recent Assembly by-elections, has asked the district presidents of Wayanad, Palakkad and Thrissur to come up with a comprehensive report.

At the meeting of Kerala BJP leaders in Kochi on Tuesday, dissident leaders, including firebrand BJP state vice-president Sobha Surendran, adopted a stoic silence. Former BJP state president P.K. Krishnadas and general secretary M.T. Ramesh were absent in protest against the state leadership.

Before the meeting, Surendran accused the media of spreading misinformation about him but appeared confident and in charge, implying he would neither step down nor be removed by the central BJP leadership.

There was no discussion on the BJP’s poor performance in the Wayanad, Palakkad and Chelakkara by-elections atthe meeting.

Surendran maintained that consultations would be held only after the district presidents submitted their reports.

“The BJP state leadership would meet on December 7 and 8 where the reports of the district presidents would be taken up. Kerala BJP prabhari Prakash Javadekar will also attend it,” Surendran said.

V. Muraleedharan, former Union minister of state for external affairs, attended the meeting, but his earlier rapport with Surendran appeared missing.