Lok Sabha Polls 2024 | Modi's back to boost BJP's Kerala outreach, homes in on Thrissur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Guruvayur Temple in Thrissur district on January 17.

Two weeks after kicking off the BJP’s campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is back in the state to meet local leaders to firm up booth-level organisation. He is scheduled to address 7,000 booth-level workers between January 16 and 17.

Modi visited the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple and Triprayar Sree Rama Swami Temple in Thrissur district on January 17 and launched a slew of development projects worth more than Rs 4,000 crore in Kochi, including the New Dry Dock and the International Ship Repair Facility at the Cochin Shipyard Limited. In a major developmental push ahead of the 2024 elections, the proposals are designed to strategically bolster India's maritime capabilities, encompassing ports, shipping and waterways.

Also read: PM Modi offers prayers at Kerala's Triprayar Sree Ramaswamy Temple

"Today, when India is becoming the centre of global trade, we are increasing our sea power. Today, the country got its biggest New Dry Dock (NDD). Besides this, infrastructures of ship-building, ship repairing and LPG Import Terminal have also been inaugurated. With these new features, the capacity of the shipyard will increase manifold. I congratulate the people of Kerala for these facilities," the prime minister said while unveiling the projects.

Focus on Thrissur

Thrissur is one of the four Lok Sabha seats which BJP has been eyeing keenly. In the last parliamentary polls, the Congress had won the seat. In 2019, the BJP fielded actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who garnered 28.2 percent of the vote share. This marked a rise from 11.15 percent votes KP Sreesan had won in 2014. Gopi is most likely the BJP candidate from here again. The PM attended the wedding ceremony of Gopi’s daughter on January 17.

With 35 percent Christian voters, Thrissur assumes significance amid the BJP’s outreach to the community in the recent past. The BJP organised several visits during Christmas and Easter. The prime minister also met representatives from the Christian community on Christmas. During his last visit, he had brought up the issues of the temples in Thrissur run by the state government. He accused the left and the Congress governments of looting the religious places. He also met religious heads of the Christian community and assured them all support from the government. Christians make up about 18 percent of the state’s population and traditionally vote for the United Democratic Front (UDF).

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“We have been focussing on the women voters and they have shown a keen interest in the policies of the BJP. Apart from the PM’s roadshow, a huge women’s rally was also held in Thrissur and we got a good response on January 3,” a BJP insider told The Print. The party is also likely to use 'Brand Modi’ as part of which they will highlight Modi’s guarantees.

The BJP’s vote share in the state was highest in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It managed to secure around 13 percent of the total votes polled. However, it fell short of getting any of its candidates elected to Parliament from the state. The Congress-led UDF went on to win 19 of Kerala’s 20 seats that year.

Over the years, the BJP in Kerala roped in several prominent bureaucrats, actors and sportspersons who have helped increase the vote share but electoral victory has still eluded the party.