The BJP marked a significant milestone in Kerala's Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, securing its first-ever seat in the state. Prominent actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi clinched a notable victory in the Thrissur constituency, a coastal region of Kerala, showcasing the effectiveness of the RSS-BJP outreach efforts in the state.
Gopi's victory is a landmark achievement for the BJP, representing its inaugural entry into Kerala’s parliamentary landscape. The BJP also saw an increase in its vote share, rising from approximately 15% in 2019 to around 17% in the 2024 elections, a testament to the party's growing influence in the region.
In Thrissur, Gopi triumphed with a substantial margin of 74,686 votes over his nearest competitor, CPI's advocate VS Sunil Kumar. However, the BJP faced a setback in Thiruvananthapuram, where Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was defeated by Congress’s Shashi Tharoor by a margin of about 16,000 votes.
Over the past two years, the RSS and BJP have intensified their outreach efforts among Kerala's Christian communities to expand their influence and strengthen their organizational base. This strategy included the Sneha Yatra, a door-to-door campaign targeting non-Hindu areas, particularly focusing on the Syro-Malabar Christian communities. These efforts culminated in various high-profile meetings, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosting Christian community leaders at his official residence in December.
PM Modi's engagement with the Christian community gained prominence when he attended an event and met delegations from the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and eight bishops in Kerala in April last year. These interactions were part of a broader strategy to build socio-cultural bonds with the community, which constitutes around 24% of the voters in the Thrissur constituency. The region also has a significant Hindu voter base of 58% and a Muslim voter share of 17%.
Kerala's political landscape has been undergoing a significant transformation, not only in electoral politics but also in societal issues. Traditionally dominated by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), Kerala has witnessed the BJP's rising influence. The BJP's vote share in the state has grown steadily, from around 10% in the 2014 general elections to approximately 15% in 2019, and now to about 17% in 2024.
The RSS-BJP's Sneha Yatra has been crucial to this growing influence. This door-to-door campaign in non-Hindu areas of Kerala aimed to build a socio-cultural bond with the community, which makes up 17% of Kerala’s population. According to a senior BJP leader, the program has significantly contributed to the rise in the party's vote share.
Kerala's election results highlight the shifting dynamics in the state's political and societal landscape. The BJP's strategy of engaging with the Christian community and other non-Hindu groups has started to pay dividends, marking a new chapter in the state’s electoral politics.
