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businessline’s exclusive election results coverage The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) Christian outreach appeared to have helped it breach the traditionally bipolar political scape in Kerala hemmed by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF). Actor Suresh Gopi has made a historic entry into the Lok Sabha from Thrissur, which has a significant Christian population.
Comfortable margin
Gopi trounced his nearest rival VS Sunil Kumar of the CPI, an LDF constituent, by a comfortable margin of 74,686 votes, with the much-fancied K Muralidharan, son of legendary Congress leader K Karunakaran, running up as a poor third in what was considered a strong multi-cornered contest. He rallied the BJP vote share in Thrissur by a walloping 10.4 per cent by polling 1,18,933 more votes than his own tally of 2,93,405 in 2019.
Congress suffers most
Gopi polled a cumulative 4,12,338 votes, a vote share of 37.8 per cent, then 2,93,405 in 2019 (28.3 per cent). He did so mainly at the expense of the Congress’s K Muralidharan, who suffered a massive dip in vote share of 9.92 per cent from 2019 when party colleague TN Prathapan won the seat with a vote share of 40 per cent (4,14,541 votes). The vote share has slid massively to 30.08 per cent (3,28,124 votes), representing an erosion of polled votes of 86,417, representing a huge shift away from the BJP of Christian votes that traditionally went to the Congress.
CPI votes steady
In contrast, the vote share of the main rival CPI has stood steady across 2019 (31 per cent) and 2024 (30.95 per cent), explaining how the BJP has managed to spirit away votes from the Congress. Reports from Thrissur suggest the Congress’s poor show was least expected and is attributable to purposeful backroom attempts orchestrated by disgruntled elements within the party to ensure its own candidate’s defeat. Upper-caste Christians engaged in trade and business sectors in the buzzing city appeared to have voted overwhelmingly for the BJP this time.
Pulls off a near-surprise
In Thiruvananthapuram though, the BJP nearly pulled off a surprise after party candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar broke away with an early lead of 23,000 votes after three rounds. But he forfeited it after counting numbers began to pour in from the backward Christian and Muslim belt along the coast. A fourth-term seeking Shashi Tharoor turned the beneficiary and secured a win with a narrow margin of 16,077 votes compared to his 2019 tally of nearly a lakh. Here, too, the dynamics were no different, with the CPI running up in the third position but managing to hold its own vote share from 2019.
Congress votes shift
Tharoor saw a dip in votes polled from 4,14,057 in 2019 to 3,58,155 this time, a difference of 55,902 votes, representing a fall in vote share from 41.4 per cent to 37.19 per cent - by 4.21 per cent in 2024. In contrast, the BJP candidate raised his vote share nearly by the same margin of 4.12 per cent during this period, from 31.4 per cent in 2019 (Kummanam Rajasekharan) to 35.52 per cent. As in Thrissur, the CPI hung on to its share of 25.72 per cent on both occasions. Congress votes seem to have traded base to the BJP this time, with the BJP’s messaging getting a response cutting across party lines.
Gathering during a public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Unseen) in support of Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Thiruvananthapuram seat Rajeev Chandrasekhar for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, at Attingal, in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. | Photo Credit: ANI
BJP ups vote share
The spirited performance by the BJP elsewhere in the state has ensured that it managed to breach the so-far unyielding Kerala fortress with style and raise its vote share in the state by 3.5 per cent to 19.14 per cent. It has steadily worked its way through, though critics say the victory in Thrissur is largely a personal triumph of Suresh Gopi, whose philanthropic initiatives, decision to stay put and work in the constituency over the past many years combined with the reach-out to the Christian minority yielded dividends. Speaking to newsmen after victory, Gopi sought to invoke blessings as much from ‘all Gods in The Hindu pantheon’ as he did from the presiding deity at a Christian church in Thrissur.
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