Party workers and candidates congratulating BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar at Mararji Bhavan, following NDA’s victory in Thiruvananthapuram corporation election in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN
By seizing power in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and securing a hat-trick victory in Palakkad and capturing the Thripunithura municipality, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has achieved a historic breakthrough in the State’s three-tier local body polls.
Besides, by strategically targeting middle class urban segments, the coalition to an extent advanced its position across numerous municipalities, concurrently registering gains in several grama panchayats throughout the State. The BJP alone secured 1,417 seats in grama panchayats, 53 in block panchayats, 324 in municipalities, 93 in Corporations, and a single seat in a district panchayat.
Interestingly, the 2020 local body elections marked a pivotal moment, as the NDA substantially augmented its ward tally, securing outright majorities in two municipalities and 19 grama panchayats. Its ensuing representation was considerable, with 249 members in grama panchayats, 37 in block panchayats, two in district panchayats, 320 in municipalities, and 60 in Corporations, thereby accounting for 15% of the total vote share.
Although its electoral footprint has expanded, the BJP-led coalition remains a distant third Statewide in both seat count and vote share. The front with a vote share below 20%, has yet to offer a substantive challenge to the bipolar apparatus of the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala.
Qualitative improvement
Nevertheless, BJP leaders have voiced optimism about achieving a qualitative improvement in future editions of the three-tier local body polls. BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the election results was a clear public endorsement of the vision for a developing Kerala, signalling the end of the LDF’s decade-long hegemony in the State.
Dismissing allegations by leaders from both the CPI(M) and Congress regarding any pre-poll “adjustments” with other parties in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, Mr. Chandrasekhar characterised such claims as mere diversionary tactics. “Our success come from our focus on development,” he stated. “One does not need to be a philosopher; it is simple common sense to recognise that Kerala is moving towards a contest between the UDF and the BJP-led NDA and the LDF in the coming Assembly polls, “ he said.
Similarly, former BJP State president, K. Surendran contended that the outcome of the polls sent an unambiguous message that the party can no longer be marginalised from Kerala’s political landscape. The results from the Kozhikode Corporation was evident of this shift. The BJP not only successfully increased its number of seats but, critically, the result led to a hung council, as no single party or front secured a majority, he said.
Mr. Surendran said that the party would undertake a comprehensive review of its performance, with emphasis on narrow defeat margins and losses sustained in several of the party’s traditional strongholds.
Addressing the less-than-expected performance in the Thrissur Corporation, where the party had hoped to build upon following Union Minister Suresh Gopi’s Lok Sabha gains, BJP State general secretary M.T. Ramesh said that the party had increased its tally and secured second place in numerous seats. He attributed the failure to secure a majority to the unified effort of both the Congress and CPI(M) to prevent a BJP victory.
Published – December 13, 2025 09:08 pm IST
