Thiruvananthapuram , 11 Jan (H.S.):Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday called on the Bharatiya Janata Party to set its sights on installing its first Chief Minister in Kerala, striking an optimistic tone despite the party’s modest showing in the 2025 local body elections.
Addressing newly elected BJP and NDA representatives at a convention centre in Kowdiar, Shah sought to energise party cadres even as the results underlined the steep challenge ahead. The BJP secured 14.80% vote share in the local body polls—well short of the 25% benchmark Shah himself had outlined during his visit to the state in July last year as a stepping stone to the 2026 Assembly elections. The party’s most significant gain was winning the mayoral post in Thiruvananthapuram.
Turning that outcome into a symbolic milestone, Shah referred to his visit earlier in the day to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. He recalled having vowed to offer prayers there if the BJP won the mayor’s post in the state capital. “I am coming here straight after paying obeisance to the Lord,” he said, drawing loud applause from party workers.
Emphasising that the mayoralty was only a beginning, Shah reiterated the party’s larger ambition. “The journey will reach its culmination only when Kerala has a BJP Chief Minister,” he said, asserting that the party’s focus remained firmly on the 2026 Assembly polls.
To bolster morale, Shah highlighted the BJP’s steady rise in Lok Sabha vote share in the state—from 11% in 2014 to 16% in 2019 and 20% in 2024—crediting the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He acknowledged, however, that this growth had not translated into Assembly success, noting that the NDA’s vote share dipped to 12.41% in the 2021 Assembly elections.
Projecting confidence, Shah declared that the BJP would leap from 20% to 30% and then to 40% in 2026 itself, citing the party’s rapid expansion in states such as Assam and Uttar Pradesh. His address was punctuated by the slogan “Ab baari Kerala ki hai,” which drew an enthusiastic response from the audience.
Shah said the BJP’s Kerala push would rest on development, security and protection of faith. He criticised both the LDF and UDF on development and law-and-order issues, questioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over alleged land disputes involving the Wakf Board, and accused rival fronts of appeasement politics.
While the speech infused energy into party ranks, the local body election numbers continue to underline the magnitude of the task before the BJP as Kerala moves closer to the 2026 Assembly battle.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
