BJP bets on 2 Union ministers to enter Left stronghold Kerala

A few minutes later, amid the loud blaring of horns and music, a big cavalcade, fitted with saffron flags, came charging in. In the cavalcade, atop an open vehicle, was a beaming Chandrasekhar, waving his hands at the crowd. Follow full coverage of the Lok Sabha elections here.

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Taking to the microphone, the BJP leader made a brief address in Malayalam. "I want to thank everyone who turned up here to welcome me. The voting is on April 26 as you know. We must win and usher in a new politics of change and progress in Thiruvananthapuram," he said, before the BJP cavalcade moved on to the next stop.

Around 40 kilometres away, in Puliyarakonam in neighbouring Attingal constituency, a similar welcome was arranged for yet another Union minister of state belonging to the BJP, V Muraleedharan. Unlike Chandrasekhar who's making his debut in Kerala's electoral politics, Muraleedharan is the party's former state president and has contested both assembly and Lok Sabha elections several times, albeit unsuccessfully.

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For the first time in Kerala, the BJP has fielded two Union ministers in neighbouring constituencies, encompassing areas under Thiruvananathapuram district. Through their candidacy, the party also hopes to percolate the achievements of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and its role in implementing various schemes from Jal Jeevan Mission to Kisan Samman Nidhi and Ujjwala Yojana. By fielding the two ministers in constituencies where the BJP has recorded over 25% votes in the last election, a win in at least one would buttress its support base in a state where it has never won a Lok Sabha seat.

'Political culture shift in last 10 years'

Resting at a party worker's home during the campaign, while it poured incessantly outside, Chandrasekhar said that he did not believe that his ministership strengthened his chances as a candidate in Thiruvananthapuram. "Rather, it is about what one does with the opportunity he's given," he said.

"There's a political culture shift that has happened in the last 10 years. People today want substantive performance from elected representatives. Earlier for 65 years, people got away with slogans like 'garibi hatao', but the garibi never went anywhere. People used to vote for them. That's changing. It's not just about promises, people are saying you have to tell me what you are doing," the BJP leader said.

Also Read | Kerala votes: Will a rising BJP help LDF's cause or is UDF returning comfortably?

Chandrasekhar will be squaring off against incumbent three-time MP Shashi Tharoor of Congress and CPI leader and former MP Pannyan Raveendran. Though BJP came close to winning the constituency in 2014 when O Rajagopal fell to Tharoor by just around 10,000 votes, the margin of the Congress leader widened to over 99,000 votes in 2019, a gap which will be difficult to bridge for any contender.

While the BJP has often done well in the urban pockets of the constituency like Vattiyoorkavu and Nemom, it has fallen behind in the rural, coastal assembly segments such as Kovalam, Neyyattinkara and Parassala, home to a sizeable Christian population. The BJP is aware of that and has deepened its campaign particularly in these areas this time.

Chandrasekhar alleged that the rival Left Democratic Front and United Democratic Front have always spread 'deep fake propaganda' about BJP and 'poisoned the minds of people of certain communities.'

"They have been creating fear and making it seem like the BJP is untouchable. That is about to change. The last 10 years, the same communities which were held back by fear and propaganda have realised that PM Narendra Modi has governed without any discrimination and has stayed true to the slogan of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas' ideology," he said.

One of the highlights of his campaign, he said, was his detailed 'vikasana rekha' or development blueprint containing the projects and schemes he "has in mind to implement in the next five years". Some of those promises include building a seawall in areas facing sea incursions, a manufacturing unit for electronics, new electric buses, a ship building centre and a Metro rail system.

Voters in the constituency, however, have mixed responses. While auto-rickshaw driver Madhusoodhanan wanted "the BJP candidate to win" as he was "tired of Tharoor's alleged apathy", shopkeeper Mani said he "will always vote for the Congress".

'My ministership will have positive effect'

In Attingal, Muraleedharan exuded confidence about his chances. Like Chandrasekhar, he too faces a stiff challenge from both the LDF and the UDF, making the contest triangular. He is up against sitting Congress MP Adoor Prakash and CPI(M) district secretary V Joy.

Until 2019, Attingal was a Left bastion which elected CPI(M) candidates continuously from 1991 including the likes of Susheela Gopalan and A Sampath. But in the backdrop of the Sabarimala protests and the candidacy of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, Attingal, like other Left fortresses, fell in the UDF wave. Both the Congress and the BJP made gains, with the latter's vote-share shooting up from 14% to nearly 25%.

Sensing the prospects of the BJP in the constituency, Muraleedharan has remained in Attingal for the past five years, trying to establish a connect with the voters. "Those efforts, combined with the vision of the Modi government, will work in our favour", he said.

"Attingal has a lot of developmental possibilities. They have not been explored fully. Also, there is huge sentiment against the LDF government in terms of corruption and violence by its members. In the past, while Congress has cashed in on those voters' sentiments, this time, everyone knows they are not going to come to power at the Centre. So the BJP has an opportunity to win here," Muraleedharan said.

As a Union minister, especially in the external affairs portfolio, Muraleedharan claimed his role in rescue and evacuation missions in the last five years will "enhance" his candidacy.

"As an MoS, I had a direct role in those missions. So that has generated a positive feeling in the campaign," he said.

Attingal is a constituency where Hindu votes, particularly the upper-caste Nair and OBC Ezhava communities, are significant and all three fronts have fielded candidates belonging to the Ezhava community. Scheduled Castes and Muslims also account for a significant section of the electorate.

However, R Jayadevan, a senior CPI(M) leader in Attingal, said the contest was primarily between LDF and UDF with the BJP will be restricted to the third position.

"This is our stronghold where we have always won. 2019 was a special situation, but we have recovered from it. All those votes, which we lost last time, would come back to us. We are confident," he said.