THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Reworking its electoral approach after a development-focused pitch in the civic polls, the state BJP is preparing to fight the upcoming assembly election with a sharpened two-pronged strategy. The party plans to place the Sabarimala gold theft case and the protection of faith at the centre of its statewide campaign, while retaining the ‘Vikasitha Keralam’ development model largely as an urban-centric narrative.
The shift in strategy became evident after the party’s recent core group meeting, which concluded that a purely development-oriented discourse has limited traction across the state. According to party insiders, senior leaders persuaded state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar of the need to pivot towards a more issue-driven electoral framework.
The BJP’s top leadership assessed that the UDF was able to reap rich electoral dividends from the Sabarimala gold theft case during the civic polls, as the alleged links between its leaders and the accused had not surfaced at the time. “Now that both the LDF and the UDF are in the dock over the gold theft, it is only natural for the BJP to deploy it as the main poll plank,” a member of the party’s core group said.
BJP senior leader Kummanam Rajasekharan said the party’s renewed focus on Sabarimala should not be seen as a drastic strategy shift. “It is true that the BJP prioritised development during the local body elections, in keeping with the nature of that contest. But it must also be remembered that the party has always been at the forefront when it comes to the protection of faith,” he said.
BJP insiders believe that the ‘Vikasitha Keralam’ (Developed Kerala) slogan, spearheaded by Chandrasekhar, is likely to yield electoral returns only in urban pockets. “The slogan, centred on development-oriented politics, good governance, better opportunities for youth and anti-corruption, with Narendra Modi as the face, will largely be deployed as part of a micro-campaign in urban centres,” a senior party leader said.
With the BJP’s ‘Sabarimala Samrakshana Deepam’ campaign slated for January 14, the party is gearing up to intensify efforts to keep the issue firmly in the political spotlight in the run-up to the polls. “The SIT constituted by the LDF government has been granted a six-week breather by the High Court. It is certain that the probe into the gold theft will be soft-pedalled, prompting us to step up our agitations in the coming days,” the leader added.
Core campaign planks
‘Vikasitha Keralam’ development pitch to be retained mainly for urban centres
Development, governance, youth opportunities and anti-corruption to be highlighted with PM Narendra Modi as the face
Party to intensify agitations to keep the Sabarimala issue in focus ahead of the assembly polls