Thiruvananthapuram: The exit poll predictions of BJP opening account to the Lok Sabha from Kerala by winning up to three seats and considerably increasing vote share has triggered political debates in the state.
Even while pooh-poohing the exit poll projections in favour of BJP, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) are accusing each other for any gains for BJP.
Over the last couple of elections BJP has been making all out efforts to win seats in Kerala. Even as the party had been recording a steady increase in vote share and won an assembly seat in 2016, in the 2021, the party also lost this seat.
This time prime minister Narendra Modi himself frequently campaigned in Kerala and former union minister and senior leader Prakash Javadekar was given Kerala's charge. The party made serious efforts to tap the Christian vote banks.
BJP was able to woo many notable persons from the Congress camp, like former defence minister A K Antony's son Anil Antony and former chief minister K Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja Venugopal.
Two union ministers of state, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V Muraleedharan, were also in the fray this time.
While Congress and CPM top leaders rejected exit poll outcomes that BJP will win seats in Kerala, sitting MP and Thrissur candidate K Muraleedharan said that if BJP would win any seat in Kerala, it could be due to cross voting by the left-front only.
CPM senior leader and former minister A K Balan countered that Congress would be responsible if BJP makes any gains in Kerala.
Congress camps had been alleging of Modi-Pinarayi nexus citing that the central agencies were going soft on the probes against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government as well as the shady deals of her daughter's firm. Vijayan's foreign trip with family without taking part in campaigns in other states had also raised many eyebrows.
In the 2019 elections UDF swept Kerala by winning 19 of the 20 seats, including that of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The CPM won only one seat. This time too the exit polls are predicting an upper hand for the UDF. Anti-incumbency against the Pinarayi Vijayan government was a major challenge that the LDF faced.
Thiruvananthapuram, Attingal, Thrissur, Pathanamthitta and Palakkad are among the seats where the BJP is pinning high hopes in Kerala this time. Back in 2019, out of 20 seats, Congress-led UDF won 19 seats (Congress - 15, IUML-2; Kerala Congress (M) : 1, RSP 1) while the CPM-led LDF won 1.
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