Amit Shah Opens New Kerala BJP Headquarters ‘Mararji Bhavan’ In Thiruvananthapuram

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday opened the new Kerala BJP state headquarters in the heart of the capital.

Named ‘Mararji Bhavan’ in memory of former state BJP president KG Marar, the seven-storey building features 13 suite rooms and various modern amenities.

Shah, who arrived in the state capital late Friday, began his Saturday visit with the hoisting of the party flag, planting of a sapling, and a tour of the expansive complex, which now houses the office of newly appointed state BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Interestingly, the land on which the building stands was once the ancestral property of a former Congress Union Minister. Veteran BJP leader PP Mukundan, a close associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the party’s early years, later acquired it.

Origins of the project

The construction began during the leadership of ex-state BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan.

The project raised eyebrows after it was revealed that the design included a room intended for a future BJP Chief Minister of Kerala, despite the party’s historically modest electoral footprint in the state.

The BJP had won only one Assembly seat in 2016, which it lost in 2021.

Momentum has shifted somewhat in recent times, with the BJP gaining ground after actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general elections.

His subsequent induction into the Union Cabinet has sparked renewed energy within the party’s state unit.

Shah’s visit follows a significant organisational shake-up led by new state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, blending seasoned hands with younger faces to energise the party’s strategy in Kerala.

One of the immediate goals for the restructured leadership is to assert the BJP’s presence in the upcoming local body polls, a key test of the party’s traction among voters in the state.

Following the inauguration, Shah will likely address a massive gathering at ‘Putharikandam Maidan’, likely to draw nearly 30,000 supporters on-site and around one lakh virtually.

Later in the day, he will travel to ‘Kannur’ to offer prayers at the ‘Thaliparambu Rajarajeshwara temple’, before heading back to Delhi.

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