Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: In a first, BJP gets a foothold in Kerala

BJP for the first time has got a foothold in the bastion of UDF LDF in Kerala through actor Suresh Gopi who won by a margin of over 72 000 votes in Thrissur defeating Sunil Kumar of CPI and K Muraleedharan of CongressInterestingly Rajeev Chandrasekhar of BJP who was leading at Thiruvananthapuram by almost over 20000 votes initially slipped down to 17000 then to 13000 thereafter to 5000 plus below before losing to Congress national leader Shashi Tharoor who won for the fourth consecutive time from Thiruvananthapuram by margin of over 11000 votesM G Radhakrishnan political observerInterestingly midday had in its article titled lsquoIt will be battle ground Thiruvananthapuramrdquo dated April 26 2024 had interviewed political observer M G Radhakrishnan who said BJP still has a long way to go as it has not established credibility as an alternative to LDF or the UDF in Kerala Radhakrishnan had also claimed Tharoor will be facing the most challenging elections this time and that has come trueWhat does BJPrsquos maiden victory mean to Kerala PoliticsSpeaking to midday Radhakrishnan said ldquoIt is a historic win for BJP and this should be looked as a warning bell for both the LDF and UDF and if they fail to deliver then it wonrsquot be too late for the saffron party to pick up in future elections Suresh Gopirsquos victory by over 72000 plus votes was unexpected and it might be that Gopi could manage to get the upper caste Christian votes Interestingly the entry of BJP into Kerala politics also brings to an end the bipolar political tradition in the staterdquoAnd in the case of Shashi Tharoor the fate for him changed at the last moment The Latin Christian votes from coastal regions have helped Tharoor in 2014 elections wherein he scraped through the finish line by a few thousand votes On Tuesday Tharoor again won by a slim margin The coastal vote bank of Tharoor seems to have played the trump card for him even this time But the margin with which Tharoor has won is not that huge which gives room for BJP to deliver and fix the gaps to win over public trust and faithBesides CPM didnrsquot get the desired support from its loyal Muslim vote bank in Kannur Vadakara and the northern constituency despite the party raising the din over Citizen Amendment Act CAA Uniform Civil Code and Triple TalaqWhen asked if BJPrsquos penetration into Kerala also had an impact in the state politics and future state election Radhakrishnan said ldquoThe penetration of BJP in the state is just the tip of the icebergrdquoBJP will have to walk the talkldquoGopi will need to work towards fulfilling his promises as BJP as a party has not established credibility as an alternative to the LDF or the UDF It hasnrsquot positioned itself as a party which takes care of Keralarsquos needs BJP has inbuilt structural issues like the minorities How do you cross this thing ifdespite its Hindu majoritarianism can the BJP help Kerala This is something that only time will answerrdquo said RadhakrishnanldquoThe LDF has not functioned well economic management is terrible and the Congress has been tried many times but what has the BJP to show as an alternative Its leadership is bankrupt in Kerala and I donrsquot see any potential in BJP leadership in Kerala BJP has been in power at the centre since 2014 but hasnrsquot done anything for Kerala So why should Kerala trust the BJP Kerala people are educated and they donrsquot see anything significant in states run by the BJPrdquo said RadhakrishnanldquoIf BJP is going to be the difference it must show the difference It hasnrsquot But now there is corruption and there are the electoral bonds and washing machines Anyone tainted in any party is happily welcomed into the BJPrdquo said RadhakrishnanWayanad constituencyRahul Gandhi was expected to win from Wayanad though his tally of votes has come down from over 4 lakh in 2019 to over 280 lakh this time The Muslims and the Muslim League know that they have their only hope in Congress said Radhakrishnan