BJP won't make any impact in Kerala Assembly polls: Minister MB Rajesh

While the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is the main opponent for the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF, the BJP has been working on expanding its footprints in the state, and actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi won from the Thrissur constituency in the last Lok Sabha polls.

The CPI(M) could win only one seat Alathur, while the UDF won the rest of the seats.

The BJP got a vote share of around 19 per cent in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, while the LDF's share was around 33 per cent, down from 36 percent in 2019 polls, while the UDF's share was around 45 per cent, down from 47 per cent in 2019.

Rajesh, however, said the party, which is in power at the Centre, will not make any impact in the Assembly polls due next year.

"In these elections, the BJP is not going to make any impact in Kerala. This is going to be a huge electoral setback for the BJP in Kerala," Rajesh told PTI.

Asked about the increase in the BJP's vote share, Rajesh said some UDF votes shifted towards the BJP in Thrissur, where they won.

"In Thrissur, it was the UDF vote (that shifted) because it was the UDF's sitting seats. And they finished third this time," he said.

"We had increased our number of votes by 16,000. We got 16,000 more votes than the last time. But the UDF lost votes. So that shifted to the BJP. That is why they were able to win that seat," he said.

Gopi won Thrissur with a margin of 74,686 votes, defeating closest rival from the CPI, while the Congress candidate finished third. The seat was earlier won by the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Rajesh also expressed confidence that the LDF would get a third term.

"Yes, we will get a third term. We are working tirelessly to ensure that our government will come back to power. Because the unfinished agenda of development with equity and social justice, we have to carry out that agenda," he said.

Asked about the support to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill coming from some Christian groups in the state, Rajesh said a few organisations have taken the position, but the broad consensus is against it.

"The Waqf Amendment Bill is an assault on secularism. It is an assault on the Constitution, and minority rights. Very few organisations have taken such a position. But the broad consensus in Kerala among the secular sections is against this Bill," he said.

Locals at the Munambam village, near Kochi, had come out in support of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

The residents, strongly supported by the Catholic Church, have been protesting for the past 174 days for revenue rights over their properties, allegedly claimed by the Waqf Board.

Hours after Parliament passed the Bill, 50 persons embroiled in land disputes in Munambam joined the BJP on Friday in the presence of party's state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Rajesh, however, claimed that the minorities in Kerala are aware of the BJP's ideology, and while some sections may support, the Christian votes will not shift to the BJP in a major way.

"I don't think that the BJP will gain much Christian support. Because minorities are aware that the BJP and their ideological mentor RSS, their vision of nationhood is not a secular democratic nation. It is a Hindu Rashtra," he said.

"RSS ideologue (MS) Golwalkar has clearly mentioned that the Hindu Rashtra can be set up only by eliminating minorities - Muslims, Christians and communists. These three are the internal enemies. He said the internal enemies have to be eliminated or they will have to accept the cultural domination of Hindu class," Rajesh claimed.

"It is because of this ideological position, Christian missionaries are being targeted and attacked throughout the country. Whether it is Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh - VHP, Bajrang Dal, all these Sangh outfits or Hindutva outfits to be correct, are targeting Christian missionaries."

"So I don't think that the Christian votes will shift in a big way to the BJP," he said.