Thiruvananthapuram, 21 November (HS): The BJP is likely to open its account in the Kerala Legislative Assembly as the party’s candidate, C Krishnakumar, established a commanding position in the by-poll held on Wednesday.

Inter-party quarrels in the CPI(M) and the Congress over the selection of candidates and the no-holds-barred communal appeasement by both parties have shocked the voters in the constituency, which fell vacant after Congress MLA Shafi Parambil, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2024 General Election, resigned.

Krishnakumar, a Sangh Parivar leader who has established a close rapport with the constituency electorate, had a smooth campaign. Barring the crossing over of the CPI(M)-turned-BJP-turned Sandeep Varrier, who jumped the ship and joined the Congress, the Hindutva party’s candidate had everything going in his favour from the word go.

The CPI(M) candidate S Sarin had crossed over the Marxist after he was overlooked by the party. Till the day of filing the nomination, Sarin has been abusing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and party’s secretary M V Govindan using the filthiest of language.

If the gains made by the BJP in the assembly elections held in 2016 and 2021 are any indication, Krishnakumar’s position is safe and secured in the 2024 by-poll. He performed sterling in the 2024 Lok Sabha election by finishing a close third behind the CPI(M) candidate by polling 24.31 per cent of the popular votes. Interestingly, his popularity has shot up since then while that of Shafi Parambil and N N Krishnadas of the Congress and the CPI(M) has plummeted.

The cohesion and unity shown by the BJP leaders to ensure the victory of Krishnakumar was unique. The anti-Hindutva tirade by the CPI(M), Congress and the Muslim League, the failure of anti-BJP forces to take a stand against the Waqf Board's demand to throw out the Christian community members from the coastal villages of Cherai and Munambam have consolidated the Hindu votes in favour of Krishnakumar.

According to the state's political critics, Sandeep Varrier, the TV channel star who defected to the Congress camp two days before the polling, has bitten more than he could chew. “Varrier should have been expelled from the BJP camp log back as he was the epitome of all vices,” said Sudheer Damodaranm, a political critic told HS.

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti