Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to touch down in Thrissur on Sunday afternoon, spearheading the NDA’s high-decibel campaign across the district. He is scheduled to hold a roadshow in the city and take part in the election campaign in Palakkad.
NDA has fielded Padmaja Venugopal, the daughter of four-time Congress Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, as its candidate in Thrissur. Padmaja joined the BJP in 2024 after alleging that she was being 'sidelined' by some leaders within the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
She had contested on a Congress ticket in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Assembly elections of 2016 and 2024 from Thrissur. In the 2024 general elections, she faced defeat at the hands of actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi who wrested Thrissur for the first time for the BJP.
UDF has fielded former Thrissur mayor Rajan J. Pallan while noted writer and cultural figure Alankode Leelakrishnan is the LDF candidate.
Can Padmaja make waves in Thrissur?
The primary reason for optimism within the NDA camp is the 2024 Lok Sabha polls win. Suresh Gopi didn’t just win the Thrissur Parliamentary seat, he secured a massive lead within the Thrissur Assembly segment specifically. BJP secured nearly 30 per cent more votes compared to the 2021 Assembly polls.
Political experts believe that Padmaja’s move to the BJP is a strategic attempt to capture the pro-Karunakaran "I" Group votes within the Congress. However, with her brother, K. Muraleedharan, on the other side, it's a risky affair for her. If he campaigns aggressively against her, it could neutralise the 'Karunakaran sentiment' she is trying to harness.
Another factor is that Thrissur is a religiously diverse constituency with a significant Christian population. The BJP has been consistently reaching out to the Christian community. If Padmaja can convince a segment of this community that the BJP is a viable alternative for development and security, her vote share is likely to rise.
The PM Modi factor
Prime Minister Modi's decision to launch his Kerala campaign from Thrissur indicates that the constituency is no longer merely a 'contested seat' for the BJP. It has now become the ‘ground zero’ of the party’s expansion strategy in the state.
"Kerala is with NDA. People are unhappy with the LDF and UDF," Modi had said.
Padmaja is leaning heavily on the "Modi Guarantee" in her speeches. She has shifted her focus from ideological debates to infrastructure, promising that with a BJP MLA in the constituency and a BJP-led government at the Centre, the city will see significant development.
The PM’s visit is also strategically timed to influence the Christian minority and middle-class urban voters.
