Major leaps in vote share make Thrissur BJP's hotspot in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: A major leap in the vote share from 11.15 per cent in 2014 to 28.2 per cent in 2019 is a key factor why the BJP is pinning high hopes in central Kerala district of Thrissur this time.

Even as the Lok Sabha polls are yet to be formally announced, graffities and online campaigns for BJP's actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi and Congress's sitting MP T N Prathapan have appeared already. CPI is also gearing up to recapture the seat by fielding former minister V S Sunil Kumar.

In order to ensure that there are no hiccups in the candidate selection of Thrissur, Modi even made Gopi accompany him during the major road show at Thrissur on January 3. The Prime Minister's participation in Gopi's daughter's marriage, a privilege that no other senior BJP leaders have received, also sent clear messages that Gopi is his trusted lieutenant and Gopi, who already had a term as Rajya Sabha MP, will get prominent roles if BJP comes to power again.

The actor-turned politician entered the electoral fray in 2019 by contesting as BJP's Lok Sabha candidate. It really worked wonders for the party as the vote share made a major leap of 17.05 per cent, from 11.15 per cent in 2014 to 28.2 per cent in 2019. In the 2021 Assembly polls also Gopi maintained the upward trend in Thrissur by recording 11.84 percent increase in vote share even when the NDA's vote share in the state suffered a fall.

Though Gopi came in third place in both electoral battles, he remained active in Thrissur by getting involved in key issues, extending helping hand to many and taking up issues like the major cooperative bank scam in which the left-front leaders were facing allegations.

The communal equation of Thrissur is also quite favourable to the BJP. As per 2011 census, 58.42 percent of Thrissur population were Hindus, followed by 24.27 percent Christians and 17.07 percent Muslims.

The concerns in the Congress camps are already visible with the party deciding to launch its electioneering in Kerala with party president Mallikarjun Kharge addressing a public meeting at Thrissur on Feb 4. Congress leaders also started raising allegations of BJP-CPM understanding at Thrissur. Congress camps are also highlighting the Manipur issue to counter BJP's bids to make inroads into the Christian vote banks.