The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit a significant roadblock in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, just weeks after making history in the local body polls there. The party lost a crucial by-election in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation on Tuesday, forcing it to rethink its immediate strategy in the civic body.
What happened in the Vizhinjam by-election?
The BJP failed to secure a simple majority after its candidate finished third in the Vizhinjam ward bypoll, which was held after polling was postponed last month due to the death of an Independent candidate. UDF candidate KH Sudheer Khan won the seat by defeating LDF’s N Noushad by 83 votes.
Here's what the vote count of each party looked like:
UDF: 2,902 votes
LDF: 2,819 votes
BJP: 2,437 votes
With this result, the BJP remains at 50 seats in the 101-member corporation, barely short of the magic number for a majority - 51. The party will now need the support of an Independent councillor to stay in control.
Why is this loss important for BJP?
Just last month, the BJP stunned Kerala politics by emerging as the single-largest party in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending 45 years of uninterrupted Left rule. The party fell just one seat short of a full majority.
{{/usCountry}}Just last month, the BJP stunned Kerala politics by emerging as the single-largest party in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending 45 years of uninterrupted Left rule. The party fell just one seat short of a full majority.
{{/usCountry}}The bypoll loss means BJP cannot govern alone in the corporation, and that its first-ever control of the civic body is now dependent on outside support.
What’s next for BJP in Kerala?
Despite the setback, the party is not stepping back. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing newly elected local body representatives in Thiruvananthapuram earlier this week, made it clear that the party’s ambitions go far beyond one by-election.
According to PTI, Shah said the local body win is a “stepping stone”, not the final goal, and that the saffron party's long-term aim is to form a government in Kerala. The party wants to eventually see a BJP Chief Minister in the state, he said.
BJP’s bigger game plan
BJP has so far shown significant signs of growth by winning 50 wards in Thiruvananthapuram, retaining Palakkad, winning Thrippunithura from the Congress-led UDF and securing a major Lok Sabha breakthrough with Suresh Gopi’s win in Thrissur. The party is now likely to focus on strengthening its grassroots presence across Kerala.