Opinion

Kerala local body elections: BJP wins Thiruvaanthapuram

Kerala local polls reflect rising anti-incumbency and new power dynamics

December 14, 2025

Historic shift in Kerala capital as BJP claims mayor seat after 85 Years

Next time, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, he will be welcomed with a shawl and flowers by a BJP Mayor. Yes, the capital city gets its first saffron mayor in 85 years, as the Corporation was formed in 1940. Though the CPI(M) led LDF and the Congress-led United Democratic Front ruled the corporation alternately for the last 85 years, the BJP had to wait all these years to coronate its candidate as mayor.

The results of the elections held for the Local Self Government Institutions on 9th and 11th December sprang a surprise as the BJP bagged 50 out of the 101 wards in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, which prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “tweet” in Malayalam, congratulating the voters. Though the Hindutva party is one short of an absolute majority, it is almost sure that the BJP will have the last laugh in the mayoral election.

Elsewhere in the state, the BJP emerged as the single largest outfit in Tripunitura and Palakkad municipalities. But it is doubtful whether the party candidates would make it to the post of chairpersons in these municipalities. The BJP, which was ruling Palakkad for the last five years, squandered its goodwill by fighting among itself. Pramila Sasidharan, its chairperson, is the main culprit because of her “bull in the China shop” syndrome and unbridled passion for the rapist Congress leader Rahul Mamkoottathil. The BJP won in 25 wards out of 53, while the Congress managed 18 seats, and the CPI(M) won nine wards. The Congress and CPI(M) would come together to keep the BJP out of power. With the help of the three independents, the Congress and the Marxists are sure to hijack the chairman’s chair.

The same is the case in Tripunithura, where the NDA won 21, the Congress 13, and the LDF 20 wards. Here also, the Congress and the CPI(M) would join hands to keep the Hindutva party off the chairman’s cabin.

The UDF made giant strides in the election held to the LSGI by winning Kochi, Thrissur, Kannur, and Kollam corporations. The result of Kannur corporation is significant because it happens to be the home district of Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister and the CPI(M) autocrat. The UDF won 56 municipalities while the LDF had to contend with 28, against the 43 it had won in 2025.

The UDF and the LDF shared the 14 district panchayats, blanking out the NDA. Out of the 941 grampanchayats, the UDF bagged 504, the LDF 341, and the NDA had to content with 26 grampanchayats. In the election held to 152 block panchayats, the UDF won 79, the LDF 63, while the NDA drew a blank.

The overall picture shows that the UDF emerged victorious, making use of the powerful anti-incumbency wave against the LDF. Though the Congress was handicapped by the charges of rape, forced abortion, and assault against its MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, the LDF’s wardrobe too was jampacked with stories of sexual perversion. The CPI(M) MLA and film actor Mukesh is facing multiple charges of rape and assault, while a day before the poll, charges against Marxist leader P T Kunju Mohammed hit the headlines.

If the results of the election to LSGI are any indication, the Congress-led UDF has scored an advantage over the LDF even before the schedule for the Assembly elections are announced. It has to be said that the CPI(M) and the Congress had made secret deals with all Islamic extremists.

The BJP’s strategy to field as many Christian candidates has not made any impact on the election results. The presence of hundreds of thousands of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the state who have been accorded the status of “guest workers” has not yielded any results favoring the CPI(M). The BJP has to rework its electoral strategy as the Muslims and Christians have voted in favor of the UDF this time.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s announcement on Saturday evening that the emergence of the BJP as an alternative is a matter of serious concern. “Communalism and fundamentalism are rearing their heads across the state, and this is the most important factor in the results,” said Vijayan in a statement issued late Friday evening.

Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

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