The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday announced the appointment of former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar as the president of its Kerala unit. The decision was arrived at during a meeting of the BJP’s core committee in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday that was attended by the party’s Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar and co-in-charge Aparjita Sarangi, a Lok Sabha MP.
A formal announcement in this regard is expected on Monday at a party conclave that will be held at the Uday Palace Convention Centre in Kowdiar, Thiruvananthapuram. Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi, who is in charge of the party’s organisational elections in Kerala, is expected to make the announcement at the meeting.
Chandrasekhar is believed to have impressed the party leadership with his abilities with his performance in the Lok Sabha elections where he emerged as the runner-up against Congress' Shashi Tharoor, losing by a thin margin of 16,000 votes. This was despite his candidature being announced at the last moment, leaving him less than two months for preparation and campaigning.
As the new BJP president, Chandrasekhar will have his task cut out. Kerala is one state where the BJP has slowly managed make inroads despite a not-so-favourable outcome in general or Assembly elections in the past.
The Lok Sabha elections in 2024 showed that the sentiment had shifted in favour of the BJP with Suresh Gopi emerging as the winner from Thrissur, earning him the distinction of being the first ever BJP Lok Sabha MP from the state.
The performances of Gopi, combined with the tough fights that Chandrasekhar, V Muraleedharan put up in Thiruvananthapuram and Attingal respectively, showed that the BJP had earned the potential to breach what have traditionally been strongholds of the LDF as well as the UDF of which Congress has been a part.
Green shoots were visible for the first time for the BJP in 20 of the 140 Assembly segments that fell under the 20 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in April last year. While the party emerged as the winner in 11 Assembly segments, it came in at the second place in 9 Assembly segments.
Of the 11 Assembly segments where the BJP emerged as the leader, six fell in Thrissur where the party candidate emerged as the winner, two fell in Attingal, while three other Assembly segments fell in Thiruvanathapuram. The BJP had emerged as the runner-up in Attingal and Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituencies.
Among the Assembly segments where BJP was the runner-up included three in Thiruvanathapuram, two in Alappuzha, two in Kasargod and one each in Palakkad and Attingal.
The party also managed to increase its vote share in the state from 15.64 percent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to 19.24 percent in the 2024 polls. The gains made in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 also reflect the party's growing footprint in Kerala where it has failed to make a mark in Assembly elections in 2011, 2016 and 2021.
With Assembly elections now due in the state next year, the BJP is hopeful that Chandrasekhar's presence at the helm would enable the party to take forward the momentum that it has painstakingly built in its favour and build on its support base further. The party hopes to emerge as an alternative force in Kerala’s bipolar electoral landscape by consolidating Hindu and Christian votes and reaching out to the aspirational, educated youth.
Analysis of the Lok Sabha elections showed that the BJP had been able to attract the votes of Hindu communities such as the Nairs and Ezhavas/Thiyyas that traditionally used to show an inclination towards the Congress and the CPI (M) besides gaining acceptability among marginalised groups such as Dalits, Other Backward Classes, and tribal communities.
However, despite the party's efforts to engage with the Christian community, the BJP failed to woo this minority interest group. This is another gap that the BJP expects Chandrasekhar to fill by continuing to engage with various Church groups and win the confidence of the community. A large section of the Christians (19 percent of the population) do not exactly see eye to eye with Muslims. A large section of this community, seen as traditional voters of the UDF and the LDF, have expressed dissatisfaction with both over their alleged apathy towards their concerns and the increasing influence of Muslims in their political stands.
This rift between the two influential communities leaves a void that the BJP is keen to occupy and is positioning Chandrasekhar as the leader who could win the trust of these minoryt groups while keeping the broader vision of the BJP's national developmental politics intact.
While the Assembly elections would have played on the minds of the BJP leadership while arriving at the decision to appoint Chandrasekhar as the Kerala BJP chief, the local body polls is likely to be the first order of duty for the new party chief in the state.
The local body elections are due in October and Chandrasekhar is likely to focus on the BJP's campaign in the Thiruvanathapuram municipal corporation area. A victory in the local body polls in Thiruvanathapuram could allow the BJP to influence the Nemam and Kazhakootam Assembly constituencies where the party is seen to have a significant support base.
A three-time Rajya Sabha MP, Chandrasekhar joined the Modi Cabinet in July 2021 as the Union IT Minister. He has been a technology entrepreneur engaged in the semiconductor manufacturing sector.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
