BJP Breakthrough Shakes Kerala Local Polls
LDF suffers setback as UDF leads overall, BJP scripts historic win in Thiruvananthapuram
- UDF leads in 14 district panchayats, ahead of LDF’s six
- BJP-led NDA wins 50 seats in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation
- Prime Minister Modi calls verdict a “watershed moment”
- Shashi Tharoor terms BJP result a shift in political landscape
GG News Bureau
Thiruvananthapuram, 13th Dec: The results of Kerala’s local body elections have delivered a setback to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) ahead of Assembly polls next year, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) taking the lead in four out of six municipal bodies and winning 14 district panchayats, compared to the LDF’s six.
The biggest headline, however, has been the Bharatiya Janata Party’s breakthrough in the state capital. The BJP-led NDA won 50 seats in the 101-member Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, securing such a large mandate in the city for the first time. The BJP has so far had a limited footprint in Kerala, with one Lok Sabha MP elected last year and only a single MLA historically.
Thiruvananthapuram, which falls under the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor since 2009, was long considered a Left stronghold. In the outgoing 100-member corporation, the CPI(M) held 51 seats, the NDA 35 and the UDF 10. In the latest elections, with the strength increased to 101, the NDA emerged on top with 50 seats, followed by the LDF with 29 and the UDF with 19, while two seats went to Independents.
Reacting to the results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the mandate in the state capital a “watershed moment” in Kerala’s politics. In a post on X, he said the people had shown confidence that the state’s development aspirations could be met by the BJP and thanked party workers for their sustained grassroots efforts.
Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the verdict signalled “game over for the Left” and reflected the party’s steady growth in the state. He said the BJP was confident of crossing a 20 per cent vote share and moving closer to its long-term vision of a “Vikasita Keralam”.
The BJP also retained control of the Palakkad municipality for a third consecutive term and handed another blow to the LDF in Tripunithura by winning 21 wards against the ruling coalition’s 20.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor congratulated the UDF for its overall performance, calling it a strong endorsement ahead of the Assembly elections. At the same time, he acknowledged the BJP’s historic showing in Thiruvananthapuram, describing it as a notable shift in the capital’s political landscape.
“The people’s verdict must be respected,” Tharoor said, adding that democracy allows voters to choose change in different forms — whether through the UDF across the state or the BJP in his constituency.
