KOCHI: While celebrating a historic achievement in Kerala’s political landscape by getting three representatives in the state assembly, the BJP state leadership is worried over the inability to raise its vote share. NDA’s vote share, which stood at 15% in the 2016 assembly elections, had declined to 12.4% in 2021. The absence of a reliable alliance partner has been posing hurdles to BJP’s efforts to grow as a third force in the state.
The arrival of Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), which represents the Ezhava community, had helped increase NDA vote share from 10% to 15% in 2016. However, the shifting of the Ezhava community, which has traditionally been aligned to the communist parties, was marginal and temporary.
The BJP roped in Twenty20, which holds significant influence in Ernakulam district ahead of the elections, hoping to cash in on the anti-corruption image of the organisation. However, the latest experiment too failed to deliver. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Twenty20 had polled 46,000 votes on its own in the Kunnathunad constituency, while BJP secured 8,000 votes.
Dashing NDA’s hopes, Twenty20 candidate Babu Divakaran was pushed to third place and the vote share declined to 40,221. Though BJP gifted its strongholds Tripunithura and Kodungallur to Twenty20, the performance of its candidates was disappointing.
Admitting the failure, Twenty20 president Sabu M Jacob said workers of the two parties did not get enough time to gel. “The decision to join the NDA was made at the last moment and we didn’t get the time to digest the change,” he said.
BDJS candidates’ performance too was disappointing as none of them retained the vote share the NDA secured in the previous elections. In Kayamkulam, where Sobha Surendran polled 48,775 votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the tally declined to 16,973, while in Aroor, the vote share declined from 37,491 to 20,334. BDJS’ dismal performance even in SNDP Yogam strongholds has surprised the BJP leadership.
Meanwhile, BJP’s lackadaisical performance has triggered a debate within the party. Party supporters and the Sangh Parivar have started criticising the party for following the footsteps of UDF and LDF to appease the Christian community.
The state leadership’s decision to send two senior leaders, Anoop Antony and Shone George, to secure the release of two nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh for forced conversion last year had enraged Hindutva forces. The decision to withhold the FCRA bill has also been criticised.
“The Christian outreach programme has created an impression among the Church leaders that they can bargain with the BJP leadership. Despite giving an assurance to provide micro-minority status, the Church has openly supported UDF. The drop in vote share in Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta indicate the shift in Christian votes. BJP should stop appeasing the Church. Let them approach us if they want help,” a senior leader said.