THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Despite low polling percentage in the state, the BJP is pinning its hopes on Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur constituencies. In Thiruvananthapuram, the BJP hopes to win by a narrow margin with the leads it expected from four assembly constituencies in the city and an increase in the number of Christian votes.
According to the BJP leadership, the UDF candidate got the maximum number of votes from Christian minority areas and Hindu areas in the 2019 parliament election. Hence, it thinks that the UDF would not get the votes it got last time.
“This time the BJP will get a portion of CSI and Latin Catholic community votes. Moreover, the quantum of votes the UDF candidate got last time from Hindu communities would not go to the front this time. The BJP will benefit from that. The party’s performance in the coastal constituencies is also expected to add to the overall votes received by Rajeev Chandrasekhar,” BJP national executive member P K Krishnadas told TNIE.
In Thrissur also BJP expects to pocket a portion of Christian community votes. In the two constituencies, the BJP is not afraid of polarisation of Muslim community votes as the party has factored in the Muslim votes based on the pattern of voting in the 2019 election.
Apart from the party’s traditional Nair votes, a large section of Ezhava community votes would also help the BJP win the two seats, sources said. In Attingal where Union minister V Muraleedharan is contesting, the party is hopeful of a favourable verdict as the constituency has a large number of majority community votes.