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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 10 (IANS) As local body elections begin in Kerala, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stepped up its campaigning with state party president Rajeev Chandrasekhar declaring that the elections provide an opportunity to bring about a “change in the political culture of the state”.
Chandrashekhar said the BJP was just asking for one chance to prove to the voters that “governance can be clean, transparent and people-oriented”.
“The BJP is looking for an opportunity to show what efficient and corruption-free administration means. The people of Kerala are ready for change,” Chandrasekhar told reporters soon after the election schedule was announced.
He said the party would announce its full list of candidates within two days.
“Our message is simple – give us a chance to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to solve the problems people have been facing for decades,” he said.
Chandrasekhar cited civic issues such as garbage mismanagement, stray dog problem and poor infrastructure in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation as examples of the failure of governance under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF).
He said, “It is not about ideology – it is about performance. For 10 years, these problems have remained unresolved. We want to build a developing Kerala – developed cities, panchayats and municipalities.” He said that BJP’s governance model will be based on accountability and people’s participation.
Expressing the same sentiment, former state BJP president K. Surendran accused the Congress of working secretly to help the LDF in Thiruvananthapuram.
“K. Muraleedharan is openly trying to help the Left. The UDF’s enthusiasm today is not to win, but to ensure that the BJP does not win,” Surendran said in Kozhikode.
He alleged that the UDF has entered into a “secret pact” with the Jamaat-e-Islami and the SDPI and a similar understanding exists between the two main fronts across the state.
Surendran said the BJP and its allies have been preparing systematically for six months, forming election management committees in every ward.
“The NDA will retain Palakkad and Pandalam municipalities and capture more urban bodies this time. We are going to the people with a clear development agenda and the promise of a permanent solution to Kerala’s stability,” he said.
Highlighting the Centre’s support to Kerala’s local bodies in the last decade, he accused both the LDF and the UDF of failing to utilize the funds effectively.
“People have not benefited because of their incompetence and political interests,” Surendran said.
With development and integrity as its two election issues, the BJP is projecting itself as a credible alternative to Kerala’s strong political system.
In the 2020 local body elections, the LDF got 40.2 percent votes, followed by the Congress-led UDF with 37.9 percent and the BJP-led NDA with 15 percent.
During that election, the Left won 314 gram panchayats, 198 block panchayats, 11 district panchayats, 43 municipalities and five corporations, while the UDF won 321, 38, three, 41 and one seats respectively.
BJP won 19 gram panchayats and three municipalities.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a recent meeting with state BJP leaders, had set a target of 25 per cent vote share for the NDA in Kerala – a statement that drew sharp criticism from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who termed those with a “dangerous agenda”.
And if Home Minister Shah’s words translate into reality, certainly in a triangular contest, the BJP in Kerala can definitely improve its performance by doing its homework as the big fight will be in April/May next year when assembly elections are held in the state, which currently does not have a single MLA in the 140-member Kerala Assembly.
–IANS
SG/KHz