The BJP’s capture of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has ignited hopes of a major breakthrough in Kerala’s assembly elections, cementing the capital as the party’s unassailable fortress. By wresting the 101-seat body from the CPI(M)-helmed LDF after 40+ years, BJP notched 50 seats directly, added one more via independent support for a 51-seat majority, leaving LDF with 29 and UDF with 20.
This isn’t fleeting success but the fruit of sustained organizational drive, proving BJP’s viability against Kerala’s bipolar politics. In the district’s 14 assembly seats, the party has methodically closed gaps: one second place in 2011, two in 2016, four in 2021. Congress, conversely, plummeted from eight victories to a lone seat.
Local polls’ voter shift foreshadows potential assembly gains for BJP, eyeing UDF vulnerabilities. With state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar set to contest Nemom—site of BJP’s 2016 win and his recent Tharoor duel—alongside hotspots like Kazhakkoottam, Vattiyoorkavu, and Attingal, the strategy is clear: convert momentum into mandates.
Leaders speak boldly of upending the Left-Congress duopoly in the capital region. This development could cascade across Kerala, signaling the saffron wave’s potential to disrupt long-held power structures and redefine the state’s electoral map.