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Thiruvananthapuram. A historic chapter was added to Kerala politics on Saturday when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA registered a landslide victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation for the first time. With this victory, BJP has demolished the 45 year old fort of CPI(M) led LDF. The results on Saturday surprised everyone, in which the NDA won 50 out of 101 wards of the corporation.
At the same time, the ruling LDF was reduced to 29 seats and the main opposition Congress-led UDF got only 19 seats. Two seats went to independent candidates. This victory also matters because the Left parties had absolute rule over this corporation for the last four and a half decades. This success in the capital will act as a lifeline for BJP for the upcoming assembly elections.
BJP’s huge leap in figures
BJP’s performance in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has been continuously improving and this time it has touched the majority mark. If we look at the figures, in 2010 BJP had only 6 councilors here. In 2015, this number had increased to 35, although in 2020 it had slightly decreased to 34, but even then the party remained the main opposition party. This time, by winning 50 seats, the party has proved its strength by coming close to a clear majority. At the same time, this defeat in the parliamentary constituency of Congress’ Shashi Tharoor is a matter of concern for the UDF.
Rajeev Chandrashekhar and development agenda
The credit for this historic victory is largely being given to the strategy of BJP state president Rajeev Chandrashekhar. This was the first local body election after he assumed office. Chandrasekhar completely focused his election campaign on the slogan of ‘Develop Thiruvananthapuram’. He released a special manifesto for the party and presented a roadmap for the development of the capital. The party had promised that if victorious, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would announce a development plan for the state capital within 45 days.
Strength of organization amid controversies
Just before the elections, BJP also had to face some internal challenges. The incidents of suicide of a sitting councilor Anil Kumar and suicide of an RSS worker after not getting a ticket had put the party on the backfoot. Opponents raised these issues loudly, but BJP kept its cadre united and succeeded in allaying the resentment of RSS workers. The party also effectively capitalized on issues like gold theft allegations related to Sabarimala temple and the rape case against a Congress MLA.
Promise of corruption free governance
BJP also prominently raised the alleged corruption during LDF rule in its campaign. The BJP promised a ‘corruption free civic body’ by accusing the previous council led by the youngest mayor Arya Rajendran of corruption. BJP not only captured the Hindutva vote bank, but also succeeded in attracting urban voters with the promise of development. This lead of BJP in assembly constituencies like Nemom, Vattiyoorkavu and Kazhakootam is a big sign for the upcoming elections.
