On Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met with newly elected Kerala BJP leaders. He directed the party to win two corporations and 10 municipalities in the local body polls scheduled soon.
Shah appointed state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar to lead this effort.
Kerala has 23,612 wards under various local bodies such as Grama Panchayats, Block Panchayats, District Panchayats, Municipalities, and Corporations.
These elections will significantly impact the state’s political balance.
In the 2020 local elections, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) dominated, winning 514 of 941 Grama Panchayats. The United Democratic Front (UDF) secured 321, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the BJP, won 19. Other parties shared the remaining seats.
The LDF also won 108 of 152 Block Panchayats, while the UDF took 38 seats. In District Panchayats, LDF holds 11 out of 14, with UDF winning 3.
Out of 87 Municipalities, LDF controls 43, UDF 41, and NDA 2. Among six Corporations, LDF controls five and UDF one.
Amit Shah specifically aims for the BJP to win Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur corporations. He has entrusted this task to Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Suresh Gopi, the BJP’s only Lok Sabha MP from Thrissur and Union Minister of State for Tourism.
Political analysts find Shah’s goals highly ambitious given the BJP’s current limited strength in Kerala.
One analyst said on condition of anonymity, “Shah’s targets may appear unrealistic, but every party dreams big.”
The analyst added that in the 2021 Assembly polls, the BJP had promised to win 35 seats but lost even its lone seat. HM Shah’s targets show a long-term vision to strengthen the party by 2026.
The recent reshuffle of Kerala BJP’s state committee has caused discontent. Two senior leaders expressed disappointment at their exclusion from the decision-making body.
The party has long been divided between factions led by former Union Minister V Muraleedharan and PK Krishnadas.
The latest changes appear to sideline Muraleedharan’s faction, intensifying internal competition.
With local polls approaching, Kerala BJP faces the challenge of uniting its ranks. Expanding grassroots support will be crucial to meet Shah’s expectations.
Shah’s visit and directives underline the BJP’s determination to deepen its political presence in Kerala. The upcoming elections will be a critical test for the party’s ambitions.
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