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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 14 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party’s stellar performance in Bihar has triggered celebrations in the party’s Kerala unit, which is considering the result as a timely morale boost ahead of the state’s local body elections next month.
Party leaders in Kerala say the mandate from Bihar has energized workers and strengthened confidence at a time when the BJP is hoping to make big gains, especially in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation.
At many places in Kerala, BJP supporters have now taken to the streets to celebrate the performance of Bihar.
At present, BJP has control over 35 out of 101 wards of the corporation, making it the main opposition.
The Congress-led UDF is far behind with just 10 seats.
With the NDA strongly dominating Bihar in the political conversation, state BJP leaders are already speculating that the “next surprise” may spring up in Kerala.
The party’s only parliamentary presence in the state is the high-profile victory of actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat earlier this year.
It has no representation in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, a gap the BJP hopes to bridge by using the momentum generated at the national level.
BJP’s vote share in Kerala is around 16 percent.
During his recent visit to the state, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had reportedly directed the state leadership to increase the vote share to at least 25 per cent in the December local body elections.
Leaders believe the Bihar decision will help energize supporters, attract fence-sitters and strengthen the party’s message that the NDA remains electorally dominant in key areas.
State BJP president Rajeev Chandrashekhar has said that since previous traditional political fronts had opportunities to rule the corporation in the state capital and they “failed”, the BJP should be given a chance.
The Bihar results have also upset the Congress in Kerala, which is hoping for a resurgence in the local body elections.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala attempted to downplay the result, calling it a “victory for the Election Commission” rather than the BJP.
The CPI(M), which contested the elections as part of the India Bloc in Bihar, also performed poorly – a setback that comes at an inconvenient moment for the ruling LDF in Kerala.
With campaign preparations gaining momentum in the districts, the mandate from Bihar has given the BJP the most important talking point in the crucial December elections, setting the stage for unusually busy local elections in Kerala.
–IANS
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